


Dreams of Tomorrow

by Angry_Face



Series: Remembrance [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Blood, Dark, First story, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Season/Series 03 Spoilers, post-season 3
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-13
Updated: 2016-07-17
Packaged: 2018-06-07 22:15:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 31
Words: 101,866
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6827257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angry_Face/pseuds/Angry_Face
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of Beacon, Ruby and the others travel to Mistral to follow their only lead on Cinder. As they walk down a path of revenge, they will have to deal with loss, sorrow and fighting with darkness that grows inside of a shattered soul. The only way they can come back into the light is to be guided by those who have walked this path before. The KNGT (Night) is always darkest before the dawn.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Two weeks Later

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first story that I'm posting here, I've never really posted any stories anywhere but after reading so many stories here, I thought I would give it a shot. I accept all feedback. Please be nice!

_She was rushing to the top of the tower, the glowing white of Weiss's glyphs leading the way to the top, where Pyrrha, where Pyrrha was fighting Cinder, the one who brought the Grimm into Vale, her home. Arriving at the top, her eyes watched as the arrow plunged into Pyrrha's chest, bright, emerald eyes watched as she came over the edge, and she was gone. Gone. Dust in the wind. Cinder, looking up at her, glowing yellow eyes as she dropped her crown into the pile of her dead friend. Anger, sorrow, pain, all these emotions flowing out of her heart, she opens her mouth to scream._

"NO!" Ruby shouted as she jolted up in her seat making Jaune, who was sitting beside her, jump slightly and looked at her. "Ruby, you okay?" He asked her slowly. Ruby looked around while trying to catch her shaky breath from the nightmare she just had. Nora and Ren were looking at her wide eyed, obviously she had startled them just as much as she did Jaune. A hand gently came onto her shoulder and Ruby quickly looked over to see Jaune's hand was there, gently shaking her back to reality. "Ruby?" He asked, his voice quiet and gentle. Nodding, the small girl pulled the red hood from her head and smiled softly at him. "Yeah, sorry. Bad dream..." Ruby's voice was dry, she needed some water, but she needed rest more, they did.

It was dark inside the airship they were riding in. It was night outside, so the lights were dimmed to where people could sleep but enough for people to walk without tipping over everything on their way. Ruby could see Jaune's bright, youthful eyes had dimmed, dark bags were forming under them. Ruby guessed she had the same look, Jaune couldn't sleep because Pyrrha died to save him, Ruby couldn't sleep because she watched her die. Nora and Ren couldn't sleep because they were worried about their friends. Nora returned to staring out the black window and Ren returned to reading a book he brought along, a small book light illuminating the words on the pages for him.

Janue removed his hand and nodded gently, he folded his arms over the chest plate and closed his eyes gently, trying to get some sleep on the airship, they had been travelling for two weeks now. 

Two weeks. Its been two weeks since everything had happened, two weeks since Beacon fell to the Grimm, since Cinder had killed Pyrrha in cold blood, since Weiss was taken back to Atlas, Blake ran away and Yang lost her arm. Two weeks, all of Remnant has been in the dark since the CCT tower in Vale was destroyed in the attack, so none of the other kingdoms could speak to each other and ask what had happened at the Vytal festival, tensions were rising, she could feel it, considering that it took almost all of their combined Lien just to get tickets to Haven. They decided that they were going to hunt down Cinder for everything she had done to them, and Ruby wasn't going to rest before she gets her own.

It was another few hours before they arrived at Mistral, the city that founded Haven academy. Gathering their things, Ruby got Crescent Rose from the overhead storage area and gathered with rest of her makeshift team and the rest of the passengers on board. A sudden stop and a thud almost knocked her off balance since she was lost in her own mind about she was going to find Cinder in such a large city, but they were here, they finally made it.

"So, what's the plan?" Jaune asked as he looked over at Ruby slowly, shivering from the sudden chill that filled the cabin when the doors opened up and the ramps lowered to the ground. "You do have a plan, right?" He asked and Ruby just stared at him blankly.

"Of course she has a plan" Nora chimed in cheerfully. "We wouldn't just go with her half way across Remnant if she did't have a plan she wouldn't have come here so obviously she has a plan" The more Nora spoke, the darker her face got.

"But if she didn't have a plan and we just followed her blindly to Mistrial, then we'd be in big trouble since most of our money was spent on the tickets here so there's barely enough for food and water and a nice warm place to sleep and not only that, we need to find Cinder so where are we going to start I mean we can't just keep walking around looking for her, if we did that we'd be out in the streets and we can't get any place to sleep so we would live in an alley way and never get any more food then we'd have to eat Ren's arm!" She grabbed her friend's arm and held it up to them with a pointing finger. Everyone just stared at her in silence before Ren broke it.

"Uh...why _my_ arm?" He asked her. After a few moments of thinking, Nora just shrugged. "Don't know!" Happily, she began to strut down the ramp towards the city. Ren just shook his head lightly as he watched his partner stroll away. "You do have a plan though, right?" Ruby simply nodded. "Let's just find a place to stay for the day and see if we can gather some info about where Cinder might be" With a nod, Jaune and Ruby began to catch up to the other half of the team. 

After finding a hotel they were turned away when they told them how much money they had, this happened for the next seven places they tried. Even though it was noon, it was still freezing cold, and with snow beginning to fall, it was getting even worse. Not watching where she was going, Ruby ran right into someone and the two of them fell to the ground. 

"Oh! I'm sorry" Ruby said as she tried to help the person back to their feet. 

"Ruby?" 

Ruby looked at the person and raised her eyebrow. This person was covered head to toe in a heavy coat and several brightly coloured scarves wrapped around his head. "When did you get here? you guys should have called me" The muffled voice came from behind all the clothing. Ruby simply shook her head. "Do I know you?" She asked him.

"What, you don't recognize me?" 

Everyone shook their heads, having no idea who this man was. Looking at them, he reached down to the bottom of his jacket and lifted it to show off his ridged abs to them. "Sun!?"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

Sun Wukong took his friends to a diner that was nearby, he was looking more like himself once the large jacket and scarves came off, though it was odd to see him wearing full clothing. Handing the menus back, he looked at the four of them. "So, why are you guys all the way down here?" He asked them. Ruby looked at everyone of her friends before sighing heavily.

"We're chasing down Cinder" 

"What?!" 

The sudden yelp from Sun brought the attention of everyone who were sitting inside. Sun gave them an awkward smile before leaning in and lowered his voice to not attract any one else to their conversation.

"What?" 

"We're searching for Cinder-"

"I know what you said!" He quickly and harshly said looking around the table. "Why would you guys be looking for her?" 

"Because she's the one to blame for what happened at Beacon" Ruby looked at him with steel in her eyes.

"Yeah but-" Sun stopped talking when the waitress came to their table and began to put glasses of water in front of everyone. When she left, Sun returned to what he was about to say. 

"Yeah, she orchestrated everything that's happened there. She's Remnant's most wanted and she killed Pyrrha!" 

"Yes. We know" It was Jaune that spoke up, his voice matched his eyes. Cold and hard. Sun looked at him and his shoulders sagged lightly. 

"We've had our hands full since the attack on Beacon, we've taken in as many refugees as we can when Vale was evacuated, and that many scared people in one area is attracting a lot of Grimm to our walls. On top of that, White Fang has started putting up posters and causing trouble since then" Sun shook his head lightly. "Please, I'm begging you. Don't look for her, stay here and help out, people need as much of help they can get right now."

Again, it was Jaune that spoke up. "We need to do this Sun" He told him. "This is our only lead on her. We need to do this not just for Pyrrha, but for Penny and everyone who lost their home that day" Ruby's heavy heart felt like it just got a little heavier at the mention of Penny, she was the robotic girl's first friend. Ruby could still see her death just as vividly now in her mind.

Tapping the table, Sun looked at all of them. Ruby could see in everyone's eyes that they were just as devoted to hunting Cinder down as she was. Seeing this, Sun sighed heavily and leaned in again.

"All right, I'll see what I can do" Sun reached into his pocket and pulled out a small poster and smoothing it out. Obviously he tore it down in anger, it was crushed and the corners were torn clear off. On the front, the angry red logo of the White Fang was large and in the centre, below it was some random letters and numbers "I've been tearing these things down for the past few days. Some big event is happening tonight" He then pulled out a pen and began to translate the code at the bottom of the paper. Once he was done, he handed it to Ruby, she looked at it and nodded. 

"This is our best chance to finding her"

"Right" Sun said as their food arrived, this was their first hot meal in a long time, whatever money they had left after their tickets was used for the cheapest meals they could get while travelling. Ruby looked over at sun and smiled lightly. "Uh...you have us covered, right?" Sun just laughed a bit and nodded. "Yeah, what are friends for?" He asked with a smile. 

"Good, cause I think Nora's going to eat you out of all of your money if you're not careful" Ruby giggled as Nora was already half way though her plate of food before Ren got his. Sun just laughed and shook his head. "I love you guys" They all laughed during their meal, Ruby felt like this was the first time they'd be happy in a long time.

With a full stomach, their sprites warmed up and their determination at an all time high, they left the diner and began to walk towards the place Sun told them to go. Following his directions, they found themselves at the docks where the address brought them to a large warehouse. Ruby saw two large men standing in front of the doors, stopping anyone who wasn't wearing a small Grimm mask. It was just after the street lights came on did Sun and Neptune join them.

"Why do I have the feeling that things are about explode..." Neptune said as he looked at the warehouse and shook his head, running his hand though his blue hair and making sure his goggles were on straight.

"Why do you think that?" Sun asked with a confused look on his face as he looked to his friend. 

"Because shit always explodes when we're with them!" 

Nora simply giggled as Ruby looked over at the warehouse they were about to break into. "So, whats the plan?" Sun asked as he looked over Ruby's shoulder. 

"We still don't know if she's in there, so I think we should storm the gates and take start asking questions..." Ruby said looking back to her friends. 

"That sounds like a terrible plan" Neptune said dead pan.

"Oh oh! I second the plan!" Nora exclaimed why holding her hand up in the air excitedly.

"Nora likes it" Ruby pointed out.

"Nora likes anything that involves explosions..."

Nora confirmed this by giggling like a maniac at the thought of it and Neptune jsut gestured to her to make his point valid.

Jaune stepped forward and pulled Crocea Mors from its sheath and activated the shield. "Its the only thing we've got going right now" He said as he looked at them. "If she's in there, she's going to pay for what she did..." Ruby could see how cold Jaune had become since they lost Pyrrha, she knew that he blamed himself for what happened, the once happy-go-lucky goof who she met her first day at beacon was gone, replaced by a cold person who only cared for revenge. 

Everyone nodded as they pulled weapons to get ready for the assault on the warehouse. "Nora and Ruby will cover the rest of us from range until we get to the door, once we get in, we'll take out any White Fang thugs before tracking them down" Getting nods from everyone Jaune got ready at the edge of the wall, taking a deep breath, Ruby watched his eyes harden as he counted down while Sun undid his jacket and tossed it to the side, allowing his tail free reign. "Everyone ready? One....Two....Three!"

As Sun, Neptune and Ren ran towards the warehouse door being lead by Jaune, Ruby unfolded Crescent Rose and drove the blade into the ground to give her a stable platform to fire the high-caliber sniper shots from. At the same time, Nora pulled out Magnhild and cocked back and fired a grenade towards the door keepers. Ruby snapped two quick shots and knocked them on their backs as Nora's grenade shot broke open the door from the explosion. 

Quickly swinging her weapon around, Ruby fired and flew though the air to catch up to the rest of her friends, Nora using a similar technique with her hammer ended up right behind her. When they got through the doors, Ruby was shocked at what she saw. 

Nearly fifty fully armoured White Fang members were standing at the ready, those where simply showed up were beginning to run past them out the blown open doors, thinking it was a police raid. A large man standing on the stage in the back of the room pointed towards them. "Get them!" 

"I love you guys" Sun said happily before all hell broke lose.


	2. Burn the Witch

At his command, the White Fang soldiers charged at the group of Hunters-in-training, each of them equipped with either a rifle or a blade of some sort. Quickly surrounding them, Ruby pulled back the breach of Crescent rose, sending a spent bullet shell to the ground, bouncing on the ground, she took aim and fired another shot into the crowd. The members of the White Fang weren't hunters for the most part. Just Fanus who believe terror and fear are the way to go. Knowing this, the group would easily be able to beat or incapacitate members rather easily since they couldn't utilize their own auras properly.

Following Ruby's lead, the others opened up with whatever ranged weapons they had as the members crashed into them. Ruby leapt into the air and fired again, sending her to the other side of the mass of White Fang to start on the ones in the back, easily knocking them off their feet with the size of her scythe. 

She watched as entire throngs of people were knocked away by Nora's hammer, thinning the heard as everyone chose a few people to concentrate on. Ren was easily using his superior martial arts to overcome three at a time. Sun and Neptune were each taking on a handful at a time, Ruby watched as Sun's staff danced in his hands, smacking people left and right, only to break apart into nun-chucks to make smacking people around more efficient. 

Ruby was keeping herself busy dealing with members trying to rush her down. Using her speed, she easily got behind them and took their feet out from under them before dashing across the warehouse floor to stop anyone from getting a cheap shot on one of her friends, who were busy with their own fights. 

Taking a second to catch her breath, she watched Nora chase down a group that decided that they were better off running away than dealing with crazy, red headed, hammer wielding maniac. She watched Jaune fight three members at the same time, using his shield more, he blocked and parried with ease as he kicked people to give himself some openings for attacks. 

He had improved so much since Beacon, taking any time they had to practice and train the lessons Pyrrha taught him before she met her unjust end. Ruby admired how much he's improved, but she just wished that it wasn't because of what happened back then. 

With fewer and fewer White Fang members getting back up, the leader of the rally decided that he needed to join in on the fight. Brandishing large wrist mounted blades, he jumped off the stage and began to run towards them. Seeing this, Ruby ran to intercept him, he blocked a quick attack only to have Jaune slide in for a thrust from the other side. 

Though they have not fought together very much, they quickly fell in and synchronised their movements, making sure the leader didn't have a chance to attack back, backing up further and further, nearly hitting the stage. His eyes hidden but his teeth were clenched, doing his best to not be overwhelmed by a bunch of kids, but it was a loosing battle. 

"Nora!" Jaune shouted as he jumped back away from the leader and ran around behind him. "Fire works!"

"RIght!" Nora shouted back at him as her hammer transformed back into a grenade launcher. She aimed at Jaune and grinned as the drum spun and locked in place. "Batter up!" she called out and sent a projectile straight at Jaune.

Ruby was keeping him busy, swinging her weapon around her body, watching his aura flash brightly whenever one of her attacks connected, using her own aura to speed around him, dodging his attacks as the pink grenade flew past him and right at Jaune. Swinging his shield at the perfect moment, he bounced it right at the leader, who when flying across the room in a bright pink explosion. 

The whole fight only lasted a few minutes, but everyone was out of breath. Fighting untrained people was a lot easier than fighting an army of Grimm. Looking at her team, they were all breathing heavily from beating down everyone, she watched as a few of the people were writhing around on the ground in pain, limping away from the young hunters-in-training or just laying there out cold, and was sad at how many people were willing to fight for their cause using such horrible means.

Walking back towards Jaune, he had his hands on his knees and was taking deep breaths. "You okay Jaune?" Ruby asked lightly. He simply nodded and lifted his hand and gave her a thumbs up. Looking back at everyone, they were all smiling and making sure each other wasn't hurt, Ruby walked back to them and smiled lightly. It felt good to actually do something instead of just sitting and travelling.

Click. Click. Click.

Everyone held their breaths as the clicking noise began to get closer and closer to them. Their eyes scanning the room, trying to find out where it was coming from. Ruby dropped the empty magazine from Crescent Rose and quickly slapped in a new one into it. Everyone else followed by reloading their weapons in anticipation of what was coming.

Click. Click. Click.

Looking up at the stage in time to watch a young woman walk up onto the stage from the back. Her black hair cascading over the right half of her face and her shoulder, a deep red shirt with glowing orange symbols along her arms and chest. The clicks of her glass heels echoing though the silence, her amber eyes casting a faint glow as a smirk formed on her lips. "Ruby Rose..." Cinder said with her smooth voice. "The thorn in my side..." 

Cinder Fall, it was this woman that Ruby's dreams since that day, the woman choreographed the whole Vytal festival tournament, forcing Pyrrha to kill Penny by accident, which in turn caused an entire army of Grimm to invade Vale, killing so many it hurt Ruby's heart to just thinking of it. Cinder, who stole Pyrrha away from Jaune, and killed her right in front of her silver eyes. 

Cinder, the woman was standing right before them now, and Ruby couldn't do anything. She stood there, she couldn't move her feet, an icy chill on her spine held her in place, Ruby was afraid. No one moved.

"CINDER!!" Jaune shouted as he blindly charged at her, his call broke Ruby out of her fear-lock and she ran towards him. "Jaune! Wait!" But he didn't listen, his mind was to focused on revenge for Pyrrha, he jumped onto the stage and swung his blade at her.

Without loosing her smirk, she pulled out her glass swords and easily parried Jaune's attack, her eyes glowing brightly, she sent a fireball right into his chest, knocking him off the stage. Jaune landed with a loud thud, the wind knocked out of him, he was gasping for air as Ruby reached the stage and leapt onto it to fight Cinder herself. 

As Ruby swung her scythe around, Cinder blocked and dodged, giving the rest of the team enough time to rush to the stage to join her and help their friend. Ren helped Jaune sit up and got him to catch his breath as Sun jumped up to join the silver-eyed girl. With Sun and Ruby on either side of Cinder, their attacks forcing Cinder to block rather than dodge, did little to slow her down,

Red glowing symbols surrounded Cinder's arm as he pushed out and sent the young Faunus flying off the stage, his back hitting the wall hard, his head bouncing off the concrete as he landed, leaving Sun motionless. 

"Sun!" Neptune called out as he ran to his friend, his eyes wide as he righted his friend and tried to wake him up. Ruby's attention went from Cinder to Sun, and she paid the price for it, a hard kick from glass heels connected in young girl's stomach. Ruby fell to the ground and before she could get up, Cinder kicked Crescent Rose out of Ruby's reach and stomped on the same spot she kicked, making Ruby to cry out in pain. 

Nora's war cry echoed though the room and Ruby watched the red head come flying though the air, her hammer in a death grip as she came down for a heavy other head stroke. "Nora! No!" Ruby called out, but it was too late, her hammer was already coming down, and Cinder blocked it with a single hand.

Nora's eyes widen in disbelief as her attack was stopped by such small effort. Cinder's eyes glowed more and sent Nora flying into the ceiling. Hitting one of the steel reinforcements up there, she dropped to the ground hard and wasn't moving. "Nora!" Ren shouted as he left Jaune and went to his childhood friend. 

Cinder just smirked as Jaune began to get back up, Ruby just shook her head. "Jaune, run!" She called out. 

"I'm not letting any more of my friend die!" 

Jaune began to run towards the stage again, this time Cinder put the blades together to form a bow. Glass began to form an arrow and she fired it easily at Jaune, going straight into his shoulder, making him fall to his knees in pain and Ruby crying out for him to run. 

Cinder's smirk grew as she dug her heel in Ruby's stomach and her body began to glow some more. "Watch Ruby, watch as all of your friend here die" Cinder said as she moved her hands and glass formed around Jaune's wrists and hoisted him up into the air. He called out in pain as the arrow shifted inside his shoulder and held in place by his wrists. 

"I thought you learned your lesson when I killed your last friend, but now, you'll watch them all burn" 

A red circle formed at the ground where Jaune was being held, and with a sudden flash, Jaune was engulfed in flame coming from the ground. His screams of pain could be heard over the roaring fire, Ruby tried to get to her burning friend, but was held firmly by Cinder's foot. 

She had killed Beacon's best fighter, what could they do. A makeshift team of broken teens, did she really think they could have beaten her. Ruby watched in horror as Jaune's skin began to turn red from the heat, she was watching her friend burn alive, she was so focused on him that she didn't hear when the glass broke above them.

Suddenly, Cinder's foot was off of her, Ruby looked up and saw a red flash knock her off of the stage and continued on the grab Jaune out of the air. Ruby's eyes looked up to see a chain that was wrapped a support in the ceiling supporting the red thing as it swung though the air, holding onto her friend, breaking him free of the fire and glass prison. 

Reaching the full arc in it's swing, it came back to the stage as Cinder got to her feet, her smirk gone, replaced with a very displeased look. 

Landing on the stage, the red thing put Jaune down next to her, Ruby could see that the thing that saved them was a person in a dark red cloak. "Keep him safe" The man's voice came from behind the cloak. He wore large black boots, tight fitting black pants with suspenders hanging off of either side of his hips. A red silk vest with a black shirt with red pinstripes on it, on the breast pocket of the vest, his symbol was embroidered in black. A thin crescent moon, the circle made whole by a scythe blade with the staff going though the moon. His face was hidden by the red cloak that was covering his nose, his eyes were hidden behind a black large brimmed hat, the right side was folded up and had a large red feather sticking out from it. 

As he stood up straight, he pulled the chain he was holding and it came back from the ceiling, catching a large, angled blade, something that looks like it belongs in an execution device. He held the chain and blade in his hands as he watched Cinder eye him down, but he was the first to speak.

"What's a young, attractive woman like you, doing picking fights with a bunch of kids?" He asked her, she simply looked around at the unmoving bodies around her, the White fang and a couple of Ruby's group scattered the ground.

"Well, they attacked me first" She said simply as she began to walk towards the stage, her glass heels echoing though the stillness of the warehouse. "But I'm more curious about the man in the ridiculous hat helping them" She said with her smirk. 

The man gently adjusted the large hat on his head protectively when she mentioned at its ridiculousness. Ruby had to admit, it was a little much, and if she wasn't fighting for her and her friend's lives, she would probably laugh at it. 

"Hey now, this is the first Witch hunt in over eighty years, I thought I'd look the part" 

That one word, "Witch" stole the smirk and cockiness in Cinder's walk as she stopped and even took a step back. She narrowed her eyes at him and searched for anything about him. "Who are you?" 

The red man extended his arms lightly and took a bow. "I am Witch hunter Krimson Rhoeas" He spoke though his cloak. "And I live for your death" 

Cinder took out her glass blades and aimed them at him, Krimson simply began to swing his chained blade in a small circle waiting for her. "How did you know I was here?" Ruby had never seen Cinder like this before. Its always been smirks and cool headed remarks, but this, this was something new.

Krimson cast the swinging blade to the side, the chain straightened out and a shaft slid over it creating a pole. The blade then extended from either side to create a rather large scythe. Krimson began to spin and twirl it in his hands, going from one side to the other. Ruby noticed something strange about the scythe blade, its like it wasn't attached properly, and slid along the tip of the shaft. 

"You have been found guilty of abusing your Maiden powers, becoming an object of fear and hatred instead of helping humanity thrive in this Remnant. There will be no trial for you. You will be tracked. You will be hunted down and you will be executed" 

Krimson then jumped off the stage and began his attack, his movements were fast and smooth. The once quiet warehouse once again echoed with the sound of battle. Ruby looked down at Jaune as he tried to sit up slowly, but Ruby just kept him down with a gentle touch on his chest. Neptune was dragging Sun over, his eyes were open, but his blood hair was dyed red with blood from his hit. "Who is this guy?" Sun asked as Neptune sat him down next to Ruby and Jaune. Ruby shook her head lightly. 

"I don't know, but I think he's on our side" 

"I hope so, cause I don't want to fight him" Neptune said as the fight continued. 

Not only was he keeping pace with her, he was pushing her back. He was unrelenting with his strikes and swings. Auras flashing to help defend from strikes and heal small cuts and wounds that were inflicted. 

Krimson was swinging his scythe without any hesitation, almost knowing exactly where she was going to be so he could block, dodge and parry against her, doing things that Ruby would never imagine, almost throwing the scythe in a way where he practised for years on one simple attack to know where it was going to bounce so he could pick it back up to chain it into another attack. This is what a true Hunter was like.

Neptune laid Sun down next to Jaune and jumped off the stage to help Ren carry Nora to the rest of them. Flames were beginning to fly out from Cinder as she kept being pushed further and further into a corner. Laying Nora down, she was still out, but she was breathing, thankful for Nora's toughness, Ruby wouldn't lose anymore friends right now. 

Cinder's eyes began to glowed brightly as she cried out, Krimson got pushed back hard and was now on defence. Her strikes came in hard and quick and Krimson was having trouble keeping up, he ended up jumping back a few meters for some breathing room before spinning his scythe around himself again. "Why can't I hit you!" Cinder screamed at him, her eyes dangerously glowing brighter and brighter.

Krimson just began to walk around a little bit. "After you fight someone for a bit, you can understand the beat of their soul, and once you understand it, you can dance to it" He said to her as he stopped his scythe horizontal with large blade on top, it slowly slide down under its weight down to the other side, the tip resting on the ground.

She then charged at him, quickly closing the gap with an other hand swing, he simply stepped close to her, causing the attack to miss. With each swing of her swords, he took a simple step and dodged it. The way they were doing, it looked like they were dancing, he was so close to her, like a pair of lovers that have choreographed this dance for years. 

He then did something that just felt so foreign to Ruby, it just felt wrong. He went in for an attack using the back of the scythe, then stopped dead in his tracks just before the hit landed. This caught Cinder off guard as well who when to block it, but then the momentum of his movements carried the scythe blade down its track, when it hit the end, the attack continued, landing it though her guard. 

He continued these strange attacks, he would swing, stop and she would try to block it, only for it to continue after the block had failed resulting in a hit. Cinder was now bleeding from several small cuts from this strange attack pattern, he ended the combo with an attack that came from below, but the same thing happened, he stopped and it continued, resulting in a very large cut forming along her stomach.

Ruby saw that she had enough. Her eyes glowed brightly and she began to fly up in the sky, large balls of flame in her hands. 

Krimson quickly jumped back and ran towards Ruby, when he jumped on to the stage, he extended his hand out and waited for the attack. Ruby could see he was using a lot of aura to prepare for this. When a series of circles formed around Cinder's body, he looked back at Ruby and extended his weapon to her. "Hold this" He said as he dropped it into her hands. It took all of her strength to not drop it right on the stage, and just set it down slowly, it was much heavier than she thought. 

With both hands out, he was using as much aura as he could muster as a massive wall of fire erupted from Cinder and came right for them. He braced for the impact, but he was still pushed back a few feet, his hat was thrown from his head and was consumed in the flame just behind them. Ruby closed her eyes and held Jaune down, doing her best to block whatever she could to protect her friend from an attack that felt like it went on forever. 

When it finally ended, Ruby opened her eyes and saw Krimson with his hands still out, the building was gone, what was left was black and charred, Cinder was no where to be seen. Krimson had saved them, he slowly put his hands down and shook his head, taking a deep breath. "That was close" He said as he ran his hand though his hair and found his hat was missing. 

He had dark red hair that ended in black, he reached up and pulled the collar of his cloak under his chin, he looked like he hadn't shaven in a few days, he cried out as he turned around and saw it burned to a crisp. "My hat..." With a heavy, sad sigh, he ran his fingers though his hair and pushed his bangs back. With his whole face revealed, it was a kind face, one that knows how to smile, what drew her attention was his eyes. 

"You...have silver eyes" Krimson looked over to the small huntress as she spoke, their silver eyes meeting and he smiled lightly. 

"You must be Ruby Rose" He said with a smile. "Qrow has told me a lot about you" 

"Uncle Qrow?"

Krimson nodded lightly, he was about to say more but the sounds of sirens form the Mistral police for coming towards them rapidly. "But right now, I know a place we can lay low for a while and heal up" he said as collapsed his scythe and began to lead the way, Neptune helping Sun, Ren carrying Nora and Ruby limping with Jaune. Ruby looked back at the scene, and was thankful for Krimson's interference.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter introduces the first character of my original characters. More and more about these characters and who they are inside the RWBY universe. Any and all feedback are always welcome and thank you for reading.


	3. Safehouse

Following Krimson Rhoeas, Ruby limped with Jaune, Ren carried Nora on his back, and Neptune helped sun down the back roads and alleyways of Mistral. Ruby's entire body hurt, her aura was nearly depleted, and she just wanted a couple of cookies and her bed, instead, she had drag Jaune though the snow and cold wind. 

"How much longer? I don't think Sun can last much longer out here" Ruby looked back at Neptune as he spoke. Sun was shaking bad, the blood in his hair dried and now it was matted together. "Sun, where's your jacket?" Ruby asked as they stopped for a second, Krimson went ahead to make sure the way was clear.

"I can't, fight in, my jacket" It was hard to hear him though chattering teeth. 

"Its not that bad, Sun" Neptune tried to lighten the mood a bit, hopefully getting his friend though this.

"I'm from, Vacuo, our freezers, aren't this, cold!" 

Krimson returned to them and nodded. "We're close to the safe house, this way" 

They picked up their injured friends and continued on the path, coming up to a rather old building. Going to the back door, Krimson pulled out a key and opened the door, Ruby felt a rush of warm air, and was glad for it. Getting inside, the inside didn't match the outside of the run down building, inside was something like a high end apartment, even though it was just one room with a few doors. 

Pure white walls and a large black couch took up the main room, a massive TV took up almost an entire wall, on the other side of the room was an open kitchen with an black stone island. When everyone was in, Krimson closed and locked the door behind them. "Set the injured down, there's a first aid kit under the sink" Krimson said as he pointed to the kitchen sink. 

Ren set Nora down in a chair and gently brushed some hair out of her face before heading to the kitchen and grabbed the first aid kit before returning to Krimson. Neptune sat Sun down on the couch and Ruby did the same with Jaune on the other side. 

"Get his armour off, we need to clean that wound" Krimson said as he was quickly checking over Sun as Red and Ruby began to slowly pull Jaune's armour off. His shirt was soaked with blood from the arrow, Ruby was careful not to touch it while she was carrying him here. 

After wrapping Sun's head in bandages, he walked over to Jaune, his silver eyes looking over blood soaked shirt. He took out a pair of scissors and began to cut open his shirt. "I'm glad I got to you guys when I did" Krimson said as he pulled the soaked shirt away and examined where the arrow was sticking out. "Any longer, and your boyfriend would have had much worse burns" 

Ruby's face flushed lightly. "He's not by boyfriend" Ruby said simply and Jaune nodded lightly. His skin was still red from the fire, but the cold air did help out a lot. 

"Okay then, what's your name?" 

"Jaune Arc, short, sweet, rolls of the tongue, ladies love it" Though blood loss, Jaune was starting to be a little delirious, but Ruby was glad to see s bit of his old self poking though, meaning he wasn't completely lost.

"Do they?" Krimson asked as he continued to examine the wound.

"One did...."

"Okay Jaune, you're going to go though a lot of pain in the next few minutes, but you need to hold on, okay?" 

Jaune nodded and Krimson helped his turn over slightly, and gripped the arrow in his hand. Ruby could see the tip of the arrow sticking out from the back of his shoulder, her heart dropped just seeing it, one of her last friends in so much pain made her want to cry, but she knew she needed to be strong. 

"Ready?" 

Jaune nodded and Krimson gripped the arrow and began to push it though his shoulder out the back. Jaune began to grip his teeth and did his best not to scream out, but it failed after the second push. Ruby reached out and held his hand, Jaune's grip was nearly crushing her hand as he tried to keep his voice down. 

Jaune's body relaxed suddenly as the arrow came out from the back, examining it for a second, Krimson the blood stained glass on the table and pressed gauss to both sides of the wound. Jaune's breathing was laboured as he closed his eyes and shook his head. 

"We're not done yet" Krimson said as he got up and rolled his sleeves up on his arms and looked at Ruby. "Hold these here, keep pressure on them so he doesn't bleed out" He told her and she nodded. Holding the bloody patches of cloth, she watched him walk to the kitchen and turn on the stove, placing a knife on the burner before walking up to a cabinet and opened it. Inside was several large bottles filled with amber and dark liquids. He looked though them before deciding on one. 

"Blue boy" 

"My name is Neptune" 

"Sure, watch that knife, when its red hot, bring it to me" He said as he walked back to Jaune and cracked it open before putting it to his lips and drinking a mouthful. 

"Here, this will help" 

Jaune shook his head lightly but Krimson filled the cap with just a little bit and forced it down Jaune's mouth. He began to cough and looked at Krimson. "It'll relax him, its going to be a long couple of minutes" He said as Neptune brought the knife and Krimson took it gently. 

Krimson took off one of Jaune's leather gloves and put it in his mouth before guiding Ruby's hand off the front wound. She watched as the wound poured out even more blood than before. His aura must be completely depleted for this much blood to pour out. 

"Sorry Kid" 

Krimson pushed the tip of the red hot blade into the open wound and Jaune convulsed from the pain. Krimson held him in place with his other hand as Jaune screamed into the leather glove between his teeth. All eyes were on Jaune, wanting to just take the pain away from him, but with no way of doing it. 

Krimson took the blade out and turned him over and did the same to the exit wound of the arrow. Once both sides were cauterized, he grabbed the liqueur and took anther sip before looking at Jaune. 

"This won't hurt a bit" 

He then poured the amber liquid directly onto the wound, resulting in Jaune crying out in pain again. 

"I thought you said it wouldn't hurt a bit!" Jaune screamed at him as he grit his teeth hard. 

"Right, it'll hurt a lot" 

He then reached into the first-aid kit and pulled out a large curved needle and some plastic string. Dipping the needle in the liquid, he began to stitch the wound closed. he repeated the same on the back wound, by now, Jaune was just numb from pain. He stitched him up again without many painful noises. Taping bandages onto him, Krimson patted his other shoulder and stood up. "You need rest now..." Jaune just nodded and rested his head on the back of the couch and closed his eyes. 

"Now that Jaune's patched up, I've got a few questions" Sun said as he stood up, using his staff to help him stand up straight. 

"Later, everyone needs rest, all your aura's are depleted and in order for your wounds to heal properly, you need them. In case you forgotten" 

Sun shook his head and looked at him. "Who are you, and how did you fight Cinder like that?" 

Krimson sighed lightly as he picked up the bottle and took another swig before returning it to where he found it. "I'm sorry, but you are not part of this battle" 

Sun began to hobble towards Krimson, Neptune tried to stop him but Sun brushed him off. "These are my friends, and you just show up out of no where and tell me that I can't help them?" 

Krimson looked at the rest of them and nodded. "Oh yeah, you helped lots" He said as he pointed to his head. "You're head might be cracked open, you have a concussion, and you'll probably get pretty light headed soon since all your blood is pooling out of you head. Go. Sit. Down" 

Sun grit his teeth and stared at him for a bit. Ruby was the one who came between them and got Sun to sit down with a gentle push. "Thank you Krimson" She said looking up at him. "Thank you for saving my friends" Krimson just looked at her and sighed. 

"You shouldn't have tried to bite off more than you can chew" He said simply as he leaned on the counter and looked at her. "Go lay down kid, you need your rest too" His voice was gentle, she could tell almost all of his aura was gone as well from defending them from that massive attack. Ruby just nodded lightly before looking to the side and saw a box of cookies. "Um...can I have some?" She asked pointing to it. Krimson just looked over and shrugged. "Go nuts" Ruby just smiled and grabbed the box and walked back to her friends. 

With Sun and Jaune taking the couch, and Nora still passed out in the chair, Ruby sat on the floor next to the couch on Jaune's side, her back against the arm rest, slowly eating chocolate chip cookies. Looking around, Ren was sitting on the armrest next to Nora, his eyes only tore off of her whenever someone else made a noise, usually Jaune groaning in pain. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruby was startled by someone walking though the door, when she looked up, she saw Krimson walking in with two large plastic bags in his one hand. Bright light coming in from the open door before it was closed. Taking a few steps, he saw that Ruby was looking at him. "Morning" He said simply as he set the bags on the counter.

Ruby began to slowly get up, her stiff body let her know that she had slept in a poor position all night. Groaning lightly as she got to her feet, she looked over Jaune and saw that all of his red skin was gone, the small cuts were completely healed and he was sleeping peacefully. Looking over the couch, Sun was sleeping quietly as well, his head still wrapped up, he had his feet on the table and his arms cross over his bare chest. Neptune was spiralled out across the other chair across from Nora, his goggles slid over his eyes at some point. Ren had fallen asleep sitting on the armrest of Nora's chair, Ruby was surprised that he kept his balance so well in that position. 

Walking up to Krimson, who was unpacking boxes of cereal bars and fruit, he tossed an apple at her, who caught it with little effort. "So, where are we right now?" Ruby asked as she took a bite out of the apple. 

"This is one of my team-mate's many safe houses in Mistral, he's got a couple in every kingdom" he said as he began to peel an orange slowly. "I'm sure he'll be a little upset that I've dragged two bleeding teenagers and eaten all his cookies, but he'll get over it" Ruby smiled lightly as she chewed the apple and looked over at her friends. 

"How did you beat her?" Ruby asked as she looked back at him. 

"She underestimated me, after moping the floor with you kids, she thought that I'd be a push over. I used that to overcome the difference in power. That last attack was an escape plan, and I fell for it pretty easily" He popped an orange slice into his mouth and looked at her. 

"I wouldn't have lasted as long as I did without you guys using up some of her aura, thanks" He smiled lightly as he nodded. 

Ruby shook her head lightly. "I've got a lot of questions, what are Witch Hunters, what's a maiden, how do you know uncle Qrow?" Ruby had so many more questions, but stopped when Krimson held up his hand to stop her from rambling on.

"I'll explain everything once we're at the base, for now, I just need you to trust me until then" Krimson said as he looked over and saw that a couple of people were beginning to wake up. 

Nora woke up screaming like a maniac, sitting straight up, knocking heads with Ren who then tell onto the ground in a daze. Everyone was startled away by Nora's yell, which ended shortly after she looked around and saw everyone staring at her. "Where are we?" She asked as she rubbed her head gently. 

Krimson sighed a bit as he began to hand out food to everyone. "eat up, we're going to be moving out in a bit. There's a bathroom though that door to wash up a bit" He said pointing to a closed door that was near the TV. 

"Sun and Neptune are going to return to their school before they are classified as missing" Sun was about to object but was cut off by Krimson putting his hand up. "I know what you're going to say, but I need you here collecting any information you can gather about anything surrounding the White Fang and Cinder" Sun just stared at him and looked at Ruby.

"How do we know we can trust you?" Sun asked as he narrowed his eyes at the silver eyed man. 

"You can't, thats the point, but I kneed you to do it anyways" Krimson said as he folded his arms and looked at them all. He was about to say something else when something began to beep from his hip. Reaching out, he grabbed his scroll and opened it. 

"Hey, whats the word?" 

_"The Lodge is ready, most of the power is returned but I don't think we'll need any more than that"_ The voice on the other side of the call was deep, everyone was quiet and listening except for Ren, who was filling Nora in on what happened last night. 

"Good, we'll be leaving for the lodge shortly, any news on the scouting party?"

_"No, with the CCT down, we're reduced to in-continental communications only, so I doubt he'll contact us until he's back inside Mistral's borders"_

"Right, anything on the other member?" 

_"No, and I doubt he knows what is going on in the world, you know how he is"_

"Yeah, I'll see you soon" 

Krimson closed the scroll and pocketed it as he looked at everyone. "Right, get cleaned up and ready, we've got a long way to go"

Ruby nodded and watched Jaune get out of his spot and went into the bathroom. When he came out a few minutes later, he had cleaned the blood off his body and stole a black hoodie and shirt from a closet that was near the door. Sun doing something similar by stealing a jacket. 

After an hour, everyone was ready to move out once again, with a nod, Krimson opened the door, and the young hunters and huntresses in training continued their journey to find Cinder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things may be moving slowly, I didn't really want to rush into the new characters and areas too quickly or else things would get confusing.  
> Thanks for reading and feedback is always welcome.


	4. Reconnaissance

Vale. The city and that hosted the Vytal festival. Vale, the kingdom that housed Beacon academy and its remarkable hunters. 

Vale, the kingdom that fell in a single night.

With most of everyone evacuated, there were small pockets of resistance, people who were too weak to fight the Grimm were being protected by the teachers and other Hunters that came from the other kingdoms to help out in anyway they could, making sure areas were clear for airships to come and pick them up. Above the abandoned houses and buildings, a lone figure was often seen running from rooftop to rooftop, hunting any Grimm they could find, a black figure with yellow eyes, always came in to save someone at the last second, then disappearing in the next. 

Blake had to do this. After what she had done what she did to her team. Abandoning them in their time of need, she couldn't stay there, not after what Adam had done. Hot anger boiled inside of her, just thinking about him, what he stood for, what he lead, what he did to Yang. That anger was quickly overcome with grief for what happened to her. That was another reason that Blake left, she couldn't look at Yang again, not after that. 

Needing something to distract her, she began to jump from the rooftops, looking for something, anything to free her mind from her actions in the past. For the past hour, her ears picked up the sound of airships ferrying those who still remained inside of Vale to one of the other kingdoms, but one of them sounded strange, they just flew over the city, not stopping where the other ones did before, but instead on the other side of the city. 

Something caught her attention though, a lone figure looking through some of the rubble. there were a few White Fang stragglers here and there. She took them out or questioned them whenever she could, he wasn't wearing the usual White Fang goon outfit, but she didn't take her chances. Slowly and silently dropping to the ground, she began to quietly walked toward him. 

The man wore a black beanie, covering his ears and hair, stitched onto the right side was an eye with a cross hair over the iris. His shirt was a black and white plaid pattern on it, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows to show off tanned skin and deep black tattoos across his forearms, it was tight fitting and she could see his broad shoulders and muscular arms were almost busting though them. He wore dark grey jeans with some sort of knee pads on them. 

The next thing that drew her attention was the very large handguns that were strapped to his thighs. He was busy looking though a pile of rubble when he suddenly tensed up and smirked slightly. 

"You're pretty quiet on you're feet, lassie" The man's voice was deep and raspy. She noticed how he rolled his 'R's as he spoke. Slowly, the man turned around. The next thing Blake noticed was his eyes. The left one was a deep blue, the other was a bright emerald green. A thin strip of black hair came from his bottom lip down the middle of his chin and hung a little bit down. 

"What are you doing here?" Blake asked quickly as she reached over her shoulder and pulled out Gambol Shroud from her back and it folded out into its blade. The man reached down and pulled out his large pistols, and held them out. 

"Oi now, You don't want to do tha, Kitty Ca' " 

How did he know she was a Faunus? She still had her bow on, there was nothing that told him that she was a Faunus, Adam must have told him to track her down and bring her back to him, and she wasn't about to allow that. 

Charging right at him, she dodged left and right as his pistol's jumped in his hands from the recoil of him firing at her. She quickly closed the gap by using her clones to block make sure she wasn't hit from the large calibre shots that tore up the ground. When she got close to him, he flipped his pistols around in his hands so the barrel was against his forearms and a large blades came out along the barrel, extending past his fist and nearing his elbow. 

He blocked her attacks easily, but was always a little behind her, attacking her clones when he tried to counter. "Damnit lady!" He shouted as he blocked and jumped away, she quickly closed the gap and continued the offensive, keeping the pressure on him, she saw that he was having trouble keeping up with her, she was about go in for one final blow when the sound of rifles being aimed at her. 

Looking around, Blake saw five soldiers in White Fang uniforms holding rifles trained at her. Of course he brought back up, Adam wouldn't trust a single goon to bring her back, he'd need an entire army to bring her in if he wanted her back alive. 

Slowly, Blake lowered her weapon and backed away from their leader, throwing her weapon onto the ground, she looked back at the man, giving him a death glare, only for it to be stolen by a look of surprise.

He had his hands in the air, his pistols hung lose in his hands with his fingers inside the trigger guards. Holding his hands out, he looked around and then saw what she had done. The look of confusion on his face mirrored her own, looking at everyone, he leaned in gently and not really whispered to her. "You don't know these guys?" 

"I thought they were with you" 

"Well...This is awkward" 

The soldiers began to close in on them, and that was when he made his move. She watched his green eye glow for a second as he flipped his pistols back into his hands and began to fire randomly in all directions. Blake closed her eyes and flinched with each loud bang, after the immediate silence, a ringing in her ears, the sounds of people falling to the floor. Opening her eyes, she saw the unmoving bodies of the five soldiers laying on the ground. 

"Did-did you kill them?" Blake asked as she looked around. Each soldier had a shot perfectly square in their chest, those shots were perfectly on their mark, the young faunus realized he was trying to slow her down when he shot at her, he could have killed her easily if he wanted to. 

"Aye" He said as he walked over to one of the bodies and examined it by using his foot. 

"B-but they were people"

"Aye, and people die in war" 

Blake just stared at him as he moved from one dead body to the next, trying to find something. 

"War?"

Looking at her, he nodded. "Aye, war. War with the White Fang and their crazy fire lady leader" He began to walk towards another one, this time crouching down and picking up the rifle he was holding. 

"But, you didn't even hesitate..." 

"Never hesitate" He told her as he looked back at her. "Hesitate, and people die. Hesitate, and the people you are trying to protect die, if I didn't kill them, they'd kill us, understand?" He asked her as he gestured out to the ruins of his city. After a extended silence, he sighed heavily as he looked at her. "I'm Noir, by the way" He as set the rifle back down and folded his arms. 

"I'm Blake" She said simply as she picked up her weapon and stowed it way. He was about to say something when one of the dead soldiers began to talk. Both of them looked at the dead man before Noir walked up to him. Turning him over, he pulled off the helmet and looked inside of it. With the helmet free, the voice could be heard coming from it. 

"Fang Six, come in Fang Six" Noir raised his eyebrow and gently cleared his throat as he pushed the right ear piece, it clicked to life as he spoke. "This is Fang six, over" 

"Fang six, where were you on that lead, you've been dark for a while now, over" 

"Uh...the lead was a woman" He said looking up at Blake. "A real bitch, she took out three of us before we got her, over" 

Blake didn't even respond to the comment, she just looked down at the dead person he stole the helmet from. Blake could see it was a young woman, her eyes were still open, a brown that was glazed over. A think trickle of blood coming from her lips that rolled down her cheek. Blake lightly ran a hand though her dark hair and felt a pair of horns that came from the top of her head. Gently, she closed the young girl's eyes and got back up.

"Copy that, Fang six. We need you back at the airship, we need to return to the rest of the group for our attack on Patch, over"

Upon hearing the name Patch, Blake looked over at her, worry in her eyes. She remembered the stories about Ruby and Yang's home, the island called Patch. 

"Copy that, we'll be right there, Fang Six out" He then released the helmet and let it hung in his hands. "Gotta hand it to Atlas, even with the CCT down, they managed to create a short range radio to talk to troops with" 

"We need to get there" Blake said to Noir as she walked towards him. "If the White Fang is attacking Patch, we need to stop them" Noir just nodded in agreement. "That's not war, that just people being pricks" He said as he reached down and passed the helmet to Blake before grabbing a visor from another one. "Better look like a prick"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

It took them just a few minutes to reach the air ship, with their disguises they were allowed onto the airship without a second glance. After a few seconds, they were off in the air, headed towards the island off the coast of the main kingdom. The airship was loud since the cargo bay door was left ope, so when Noir began to talk to the guy in charge, he had to yell over the sound of the engines. 

"Why are we going to Patch?" Noir yelled. 

"We're sending a message!" The man in charge yelled back. 

"How much of a bigger message do we need to send? Vale's in ruins and everyone is in fear of every Faunus that strolls in for a tart!" 

"Its not to the other kingdoms! Its to the red Huntress!"

Hearing that, Blake stepped in and looked at him. "What red Huntress?"

"Some little girl, did something to Cinder and now she's out for blood. Apparently her sister and her dad are in Patch, so thats were we're going!"

Noir and Blake just looked at eacher and nodded. "Nope!" Noir popped loud enough for everyone to hear it. Removing the masks, Noir smiled at them all. "This is your stop" 

It didn't take much effort to kick them out of the bay door. They landed in the ocean below. The door closed and a small voice from the cockpit. 

"Is everything okay back there?"

Noir looked at Blake and walked to the front of the ship and looked at the pilot, the young Faunus looked back, he had blue hair and green eyes, the bottom half of his hair was actually feathers. Looking back and seeing Noir's large pistol in his face, he began to panic. 

"Sorry about your friends, they're went for a swim" Noir said with a smile.

"Uh...they weren't really my friends. They kinda...forcibly recruited me when they found out I can fly one of these things..." Noir looked back at Blake and shrugged. 

"Well, what's your name?" Noir asked as he lowered his gun. 

"B-Bleu..."

"Well Bleu, I'm Noir, and this is Blake" Noir pointed the muzzle of the gun at himself and Blake for introductions. "It's nice to meet you" He then pulled the hammer back to make his point valid and held the gun close to the scared Faunus and gave him a wink. "Get us to Patch, quick as you can"

When they arrived, they had a surprisingly gentle landing, with the ramp going down Noir looked back and smiled, it was rather wolfish, Blake noticed. "Keep her here, Bleu! We'll be back in a bit!" The young man simply shook his hand gently as he tried to keep himself busy and not scared out of his pants.

Blake followed Noir deeper into the island, he was looking around in all directions and nodded lightly. "How did you know I was a Faunus?" Blake asked with. Noir smirked simply as he tapped his nose. "The nose knows" He smirked as he took a sharp inhale in the air and looked in a direction. "There's blood and smoke in the air, they've already begun their attack, we need to hurry" 

With a nod, Blake went with him down a beaten path. It wasn't until they found several White Fang members sprawled across the ground did they slow down. Looking at the different bodies, they were not dead, some were groaning and crying out, others were knocked out but still breathing. 

Following the trail of the defeated people, they came across a rather large clearing where a single man was standing over a pile of the defeated. He was a very tall man, his head was shaven cleanly and he wore a strange dark yellow outfit that left the left half of his chest bare. Blake could see the extreme amount of scars that covered his body. She wasn't sure that any inch of his skin didn't have a scar on it. On his arms, he wore very large, very heavy looking gauntlets that reached all the way up to his elbows. On his shoulder in black ink was a tattoo, an open palm with a ying-yang symbol in the middle of the palm, the whole hand was encircled with a chain circle.

"Aw shit..." Noir said as he pulled out his pistols and walked forward slowly. The large man looked over at them, Blake saw that his face was no exception, that too was covered in scars, the only she couldn't see was those behind a long black beard. Taking a step towards them, he flexed his arms lightly as Noir shook his head. Blake took out her weapons and got ready for a fight. 

"What the hell are you doing here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next of my original character being introduced here. If it wasn't clear, he is supposed to have a Scottish accent. I also hope I wrote Blake well enough to not ruin her character completely.  
> Feenback is always welcome and thanks for reading.


	5. Enemies called Friends

"What the hell are you doing here?" Noir called out as the large man walked towards them, Blake had taken out Gambol Shroud and aimed the pistol at him, she took a few steps to the right to make sure her shots had no way of hitting Noir from behind. The man remained silent until Noir spoke again. 

"Taang, the fuck are you doing all the way out here?" Blake was surprised that Noir know his name, even more so as Noir put his weapons away. 

"I have been meditating, this is a very peaceful place" The man, Taang said, his voice was surprisingly low and calming. By the look of his outfit, he looked to be some kind of monk. "This island has a unique atmosphere about it"

"Yeah yeah yeah" Noir waved his hand to get him to be quiet. "We've been trying to contact you for months, you have any idea what the fuck's been happening around here since you've been out here collecting leaves?" 

"I suspect it has something to do with these people" Taang looked around lightly and Noir nodded. 

"Yeah, these are White Fang arseholes, they blew up the CCT tower in Beacon and now they are terrorizing everyone, Vale has fallen and now we're here to make sure some little huntress's sister and pa don't end up like the rest of the kingdom" 

Hearing Noir catch Taang up to speed made it hit home that much harder. How much damage the White Fang and Cinder had done to her new home, and her new family, torn apart because of them, a even deeper feeling of dread filled her heart when she remembered that she ran away from all of them. 

Being dragged back from her mind, Blake looked at them and spoke up. "We need to find those who where are going after the house" Taang nodded as he pointed in a direction.

"Assuming these people were meant for the town, the rest must be moving towards the main target. I saw them head west down the main road" 

"We have no time to lose then, we take the woods instead of the roads, and hope we're not too late" 

The three of them started into the woods, Blake easily navigated though the trees by jumping onto branches and leaping from one to the next. She noticed Taang moved though the trees with surprising dexterity for his size. While Noir moved over and though trees using his hands to propel him when his feet were in the air. 

They came to a stop when Noir lifted his hand in the air. Dropping next to him, she looked though the trees and saw a group of a dozen White Fang members surrounding the outside of a house, Grief and rage filled her heart when she saw who they were standing around. 

Yang was on her knees, her teeth clenched as her arm was being bent in a painful angle behind her. She wore her pajamas, her shorts replaced with pants but her shirt was the same as their first night at Beacon. Beside her, Blake could only assume it was her father. Being held up by both his arms, Blake couldn't see any family resemblance by how badly his face had been beaten, blood seeping down his noise and lips, one eye completely swollen shut, the other watching Yang, some how willing for her to be safe. 

The rest of the White Fang members standing around them one was holding a scroll and was pointed at the two blondes, Noir just clicked his tongue in annoyance. "An execution video? These guys really have no class" He took out his pistols and drew the hammer back and stood up. "Alright, I'll make the first shot, you two make sure the rest of them don't do anything stupid" Getting nods all around, Blake got ready to jump into action.

She watched as one of the White Fang members walked forward with a pistol in his hand, was was talking about something but Blake wasn't focused on that, she was watching Yang closely. She didn't look like she had been hurt, but seeing her stump wrapped up in bandages, made Blake so mad at herself for just leaving. The one member then walked up to her father, pressing the gun against his temple and began to say more words, Blake tensed up, looking at Noir, she could see his green eye was glowing as he took careful aim and nodded. She didn't notice the loud crack as his pistol echoed in the woods, she was already on her way to save her partner.

The man's head barely jerked back from the shot before Blake was there, she took out two of them with her sword and the sheath of her weapon. Taang came in to attack some more, his massive fists slamming into the stomach's of White Fang members, making them double over. Three more bangs, three more White Fang members hitting the ground. Blake and Taang took care of the last ones on their own before Noir came out from the trees. His voice loud and obnoxous, his accent not making things better. "I love it when a plan comes together!" 

Blake looked over and saw Yang holding her father up with one arm, her lilac eyes looking up at Blake. "Why are you here!" She shouted at Blake. She didn't know what to say. The faunus girl just lowered her gaze as Noir walked back to them. Taang helping Yang's father to his feet. 

"Thank you" He voice ragged and quiet. Taang just nodded as Noir looked at Yang and raised his eyebrow. 

"Hey, weren't you the one who blew open some kid's knee cap?" Blake could feel Yang's eyes shift from her over to Noir. "Yeah" She said dead pan and emotionless. 

"Dude! Tha was awesome" He laughed as he slapped his thigh lightly, when he saw no one else was laughing, just staring at him annoyed , he cleared his throat and looked around. "So, why does the White Fang want to send a message to some red hunter?"

To that, Yang's eyes widen. "Ruby? Is my sister in danger?" She asked as she walked though the snow towards him. 

"Wait...I know that name..." Noir said as he narrowed his eyes and tried to think. "Ruby, as in, team RWBY?" Yang simply nodded as she looked at Blake, and Blake just looked to the white ground again. 

"Silver eyed huntress" He said quietly as he thought. "Best take you to the boss then..." It was Yang's father that stepped in now, Yang quickly coming to help him stand up straight.

"Who are you people and why are you looking for my daughters" Noir shrugged lightly. "Not sure, but our team leader went looking for her after he learned that she went to Mistral" Noir then looked around at Yang and her father. "Ruby went looking for Cinder" The bloody man's head sagged as he shook his slowly. Yang on the other hand stomped the ground hard and threw her arm into the air, the stump trying to do the same motion. 

"That's my stupid sister for you, she's got a bigger hero complex than some actors on the TV!" Noir just watched the Blonde start to pace and shook her head, when he felt like it was a good time to speak, he cleared his throat. "Anyways...we've got an air ship, we were heading there after we were done here" 

Yang just pointed her finger in his face. "Don't leave without me" She snarlled and stormed back into the house. Noir just looked stared straight, obviously scared about how fierce Yang had been. "I think I wee'd myself a little" He mumbled out as he walked towards her father, pulling out a cloth from his pocket and handed it to him. 

"I'm Noir Handa, this my teammate, Taang An Yuelian" The large man simply nodded as Yang's father began to wipe the blood from his face. "Tai, Taiyang Xiao Long" Noir nodded as he looked up at the house. "That must be Yang" Tai nodded tiredly as he detached himself from Taang and grabbed a handful of snow to wash the blood that had dried on his face. 

Suddenly, the sound of things crashing the the ground echoed though the cold air, everyone looked up at the house and Noir pulled his pistol to go and investigate, he was stopped when Taang cleared his throat. 

"Perhaps it is best not to intrude on a young lady changing..." 

Noir just stopped and turned around and walked back. "True, though I have been punched in the face many a time for that action, I doubt I'd be getting back up from one of her punches" Taiyang simply nodded, thankful for Taang's words stopping Noir. 

"Kitty Cat, go make sure she's okay" Noir tilted his head in the direction of the house as another crash and Yang's loud voice echoing though the house. "FUCK!" Noir just nodded lightly, agreeing with himself. "I like this plan" 

With a deep breath, Blake began to walk up the steps to the house and entered it slowly, she didn't have to open the door since it was laying on the ground with a rather large boot print on the front of it. Looking around the house, Blake could see how much love this home had shared with the family that lived here. Walking up the stairs slowly, she saw pictures of Yang and Ruby's childhood, 

Reaching the top of the stairs, she came closer down the hall to the sounds of anger and frustration. Slowly opening the door, she saw Yang fighting with her clothing. She had managed to get her black shorts on, but was having problems with her yellow crop top, her bright yellow bra exposed by her troubles. She managed to get it over her one arm but was having troubles with it over her stump. 

Looking over at the door, Yangs' teeth bared as she spoke in a low growl. "What are you doing here" 

"You seem like you need some help-" 

"I don't need your help!" Yang snapped back as she stared at her. Blake flinched at how loudly she yelled at her. Her gaze going to the ground, ashamed to look at her. 

"Do you know who needs your help right now?! My baby sister! But you left her! You left me!" 

Blake looked up at Yang to see tears crawling down her cheeks, her eyes a dangerous red. "You left! You ran away!" Blake went to say something, tears welling up in her eyes, but Yang just pointed at her. "No! You don't get to say anything!" 

Yang then stormed towards her, shirt forgotten. "You left when we needed you the most" Yang's voice was dangerously low. "You left when _I_ needed you the most"  
From this close, Blake could see Yang's body with her eyes down, she had gained some weight, just sitting in a bed and not doing anything would do that to someone, but it still didn't hide her toned muscles that just hid behind her skin. 

Slowly, Blake looked up at her eyes, tears streaming down her own cheeks. "I'm sorry" Blake cracked out. "I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. I was scared" Blake took a shaky breath as she continued. 

"Adam, he did this to you to get to me, I didn't want to see you like this. I was afraid about what you'd say" Yang was silent for a while before speaking, the red in her eyes disappearing into her lilac that Blake could stare into all day. 

They were both silent before Yang looked around gently. "Can you help me out, please?" She asked quietly. Yang simply lifted her stump gently. "Its hard to get dressed in a hurry now a days" Wiping her tears away, Blake nodded. "First comes Ruby's safety, then we can work out what happened back there" Blake agreed and helped Yang get dressed in her normal attire. 

Just before they left, Blake picked up the one half of Ember Celica and held it up to Yang. Without saying anything, Yang nodded and held her arm out to her, Blake gently slid it over her wrist and lingered lightly before returning to her senses. 

Walking back out of the house, the three men looked at her and nodded, Noir's eyes just widen slightly. "You sure you're okay, its a little nippley-" He then got tapped in the stomach by Taang, obviously the man was much stronger than he looked since Noir almost got knocked down. "I-I mean nippy, uh-cold...its cold out here" He cleared his throat lightly. Blake just rolled her eyes and noticed Yang do the same. 

"I'm fine" Yang then came up to her father and helped him walk down the path. Noir then narrowed his eyes and tilted his head slightly. "Nice bracelet" Yang just looked at her arm and nodded. "My weapon" She said simply. Noir nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold band, Blake's eyes widen as she saw the other half of Ember Celica in Noir's hand. 

"The lady at the counter said it was one of a kind, lying bitch" He said jokingly as he tossed it at Yang who caught it before hooking it onto her hips and continued to walk down the path where Noir and Blake landed. 

It may not be perfect, nor will it like it was before, but for now, she was just happy to have her friend and partner back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The third introduction to my original characters, all my worries about writing Blake are now doubled when I needed to write Yang.  
> Thanks for reading and feedback is always welcome.


	6. Escape Routes

As the five of them walked down the snow covered paths of Patch, Yang helping her battered father along. Blake, Noir and Taang were leading them towards the airship that Noir and Blake took to get here. Yang still felt betrayed and stabbed from her, but in the back of her mind, she was still glad that Blake came back to her. Pushing that thought out of her mind, Yang concentrated on Ruby, her baby sister was out there hunting Cinder, and she needed all the help she can get. 

"I thought you looked familiar" Yang heard Tai said, Taang looked back and slowed down so it would be easier to talk Tai. "I've seen you hanging around the woods or buying something in the market" Taang nodded as he walked next to him.

"You have a wonderful community, even a stranger like myself found it warm and welcoming" 

Yang noticed how heavily scarred the man was, not an inch of his skin was bare, she knew that the cold didn't bother her since her semblance, but she didn't know what his was, and she was surprised that he didn't seemed bothered by it. The next thing she noticed was his gauntlets. 

They were massive, reached all the way to his elbows and looked like they were made out of beaten bronze. They were thick and looked very heavy, if she didn't know better, it sounded like something was rattling around inside of them. 

Tai gave a small chuckle. "I do have to admit, it was strange to see someone like you in these parts, I've never seen a Hunter with so many scars on your body" Taang simply smiled and nodded. "Stories for another time, I assure you" They came to a stop when they arrived at the airship. Along the side, the blood red symbol of the White Fang logo. 

Seeing that, the flame of anger inside of her grew with the memory of the White Fang and what it did to her, and what Adam did to her. Her arm throbbed with a phantom pain at just the thought of him. 

Looking at the airship, Noir held his hand up and looked around for a few moments before he called out. "Bleu! You still here bud?" Noir shouted out while looking around. The stretch of silence gave her a bad feeling as a young man walked out with blue hair and waved at them awkwardly. "Uh-Hey guys" He piped up lightly. 

"Hey Bleu! how about you invite your other friends to join us!" The young man suddenly looked very scared and looked back as someone walked out behind him pointing a gun at his head. Yang new exactly who it was, she was wearing a large jacket with dark brown fur trim, her skin was chocolate colour and dark red eyes. Her pale green hair against her skin, rage built up inside of Yang as she watched her saunter next to Bleu and pressed the muzzle of her revolver against his head. "Emerald" Yang growled, the other woman just winked. 

"Hey Bitch" 

Just before Yang lost it, Blake spoke up. 

"Wheres the other one?" She asked as she took out her weapon. 

"Right here" Mercury said as he sauntered down the ramp with a swagger in his step. "Miss me yet?" He asked with a smirk looking over at Yang. Just the way he looked at her, it made her want to throw up. Again, someone else spoke up before Yang lost it. 

"Hey, weren't you the one who got their knee cap blown off by Yang?" He asked as he jerked his thumb back at her. "You're moving around pretty good for someone who shouldn't be" 

Mercury pulled his paint leg up to show off his prosthetic leg. "I've got a hell of a mechanic" He said as he lowered it and looked around. There was a long silence before Noir broke it with a point. 

"You look familiar" He then pulled out his scroll and began to flip through pictures. 

"Uh, I thought we just established I got my knee blown off..." 

"Yeah yeah, I know what I said, I said familiar, not known" He then held his scroll up and looked at it and back at him. "Yeah...I thought so...You're last name is Black, isn't" Mercury looked a little confused and looked at Emerald with a raised eyebrow and a shrug. 

"You're pa is worth a lot of money" He said as he lowered his Scroll and nodded. "I think kicking the shit out of you would send a good message, get him out of his hidey hole, and collect on that bounty on him" 

"Good luck with that, already killed him" Yang watched as Mercury just casually said that he killed his own father. Her eyes widening in disbelief, she didn't couldn't even fathom hurting her dad. 

"Wha, you killed him already?..." He then checked his scroll and furrowed his eyebrows. "He was worth six thousand lien, what'd you do with the money?" 

"Nothing" 

"Nothing! jeez, kids today show no respect for their elders" He shook his head as he pocketed his scroll and looked at back at Yang and just shook his head sarcastically.

"What do you expect from one of Cinder's lackeys" Yang spat, not bothering to keep her venom in check. At Cinder's name, Noir's face dropped the sarcastic smirk and looked back at the two of them. 

"Cinder? Cinder Fall?" Noir then tapped Taang's arm and nodded. "Look alive partner, we've got work to do" Taang nodded and stretched his arms a bit. Noir's voice then boomed out, for everyone around them to hear. 

"Cinder Fall has been found guilty of abusing the Maiden powers and becoming an object of fear and hatred instead of helping those in need, she has been named Witch!" Everyone looked each other with confused looks, seemingly the only people who knew what was going on was Noir, Taang, Emerald and Mercury. 

"You will be tracked, you will be hunted" Taang said as he got into a fighters stance, his legs apart and his arms at the ready. 

"And you will be executed" Noir finished as he pulled his large pistols and pulled the hammers back. 

Emerald and Mercury looked at eachother slowly before Mercury took a step forward and slowly began to lift his leg up into the air. Noir just tilted his head lightly. "What, you taking a piss?" He asked.

A loud crack came from his leg and Noir's face changed from confused to shocked. Rolling out of the way, he came up just in time for Emerald to throw open her revolver up and throw it at him, the long chain coming around to hit his chest. Another roll out of the way, but instead of hitting Noir, they dug into Blake's side. Noir was blocking Blake's view so she didn't know it was coming for her. 

Crying out, Blake fell to her knees as she grabbed the blade sticking out of her side. Her aura was either really low, or that blade was very sharp. Either way, Yang instantly forgot all the hate and anger from seeing Blake for the first time since Beacon, she was worried for her. 

Yang watched a smirk call on Emeralds face as she gripped the chain and was about to yank it, causing all of Blakes insides to become outside. Yang wanted help, but she was too slow, her stump moving to help, but doing nothing. 

Suddenly, a large, bronze covered hand reached out and gripped the chain, his arm flexing to stop the blade from slicing though Blake. Emerald did her best to pull it from his grasp, but Taang didn't flinch. Giving enough to Blake to pull it with a groan as blood began to seep out between her fingers as she tried to keep pressure on it.

"Your chain lacks weight" Taang said as he as he shot his left arm and the sleeve of his gauntlet extended up his arm and exposed a large chain that was wrapped around his forearm. Pooling to the ground with a heavy thud, he gripped the chain with his hand and brought it back. "Let me know you the weight of my past" Taang then swung his arm around and the heavy chain went flying in a large arc towards her pulverising a tree that got caught in the way.

Noir charged at Mercury and the fight broke out. Yang watched as the two people fought their enemies from Beacon, Yang slowly put her father down and went over to Blake and tried to help her. Pulling the orange banner off her hip, she pressed it to her side to try and slow the bleeding, but there was a lot of blood. 

"We need to get out of here" Yang said as she looked back and her father nodded, he was going to be able to keep up with them as they began to make their way to the airship, Yang saw a trail of crimson in the pristine snow. On the airship, Bleu was looking around, unsure at what to do. Locking eyes, the blue haired man took a deep breath and ran out to the middle of the battlefield. 

Grabbing Taiyang, he helped him into a seat as Yang strapped Blake in and tried to keep pressure on the wound. Bleu quickly jumped to the cockpit and began to start up the engines to get them in the air as soon as possible. 

Outside, Yang saw Noir and Taang fighting Emerald Mercury, Taang was using his chains to keep Emerald at a distance while Noir and Mercury were trading blows. "We need to leave!" Yang shouted over the sounds of the engines. Noir looked back at Taang and shouted at him. "Kitty's bleeding out! Make some space and we need to leave!" 

With a nod, Taang opened his other gauntlet and swung booth chains, Noir dropped down and it hit Mercury by surprise and he flew into a tree. Using this, Noir aimed his pistols and fired a few rounds at Emerald, making her jump out of the way creating enough space for them to run up the ramp and into the bay, the door closed and they began to go into the air. 

A few seconds later, the airship rocked in the air with the sound of explosion. "THE FUCK WAS THA!" Noir shouted as another one rocked the airship. Bleu leaned his head out the door way and yelled back. "We're not going to stay up any longer if this keeps up!"

"I Know!" Noir shouted as he walked up to the bay door and punched the switch to manually open the door. Suddenly a large breeze nearly sent Yang tumbling. She watched Mercury jump into the air and kick towards them, sending a large shot towards them, rocking the ship again. "Arsehole with the legs is fucking kicking rockets at us!" He then reached into his pockets and grabbed a very large bullet.

Shoving it in his knit hat, the tip sticking out from the rim. He then put another in his mouth as he put his two pistols against each other and pushed together. The two of them opened up and began to form together into a very large sniper rifle. 

Another shot his the airship and Bleu looked back. "Hey are you doing something about that!" 

"I'M WORKING ON IT!" Noir shouted as he grabbed the shot out of his mouth and put it into the breach. He then took air and his one green eye began to glow. Just as he was about to fire when another shot shook the ship, making Noir miss. 

"Damn it" He cried out as he pulled the second shot from his hat and slammed it in. "Taang I need an anchor!" 

Taang made his way across the floor and knelled in front of him. Slowly, his body began to glow, more specificity, the scars on his body began to glow. Yang watched as the Noir then laid the barrel of the sniper on glowing man's shoulders and aimed down. The more he glowed, the more the airship tilted in that direction. 

"Uh...why are we so heavy all of a sudden?" Bleu asked as he looked back to see what was going on. "Just shut up and drive!" Noir shouted back as his eye glowed green again. Another shot hit the ship but it didn't shake as much. 

Noir lined up and the fired true. Yang watched as the shot went straight right at Mercury and hit his leg, pieces of his leg went flying in several directions at once and Yang felt a sick pleasure about it seeing it like that. 

Noir lifted the rifle and Taang's glow began to fade and the the ship returned to its normal tilt. "That ought to do it" Noir said with a grin as he undid the sniper into the twin pistols and holstered them as he pushed the button and the door began to close. "How's the girl?" Noir asked as he looked back. 

Blake was pale, her orange banner soaked with blood. She offered a weak smile as Taang went to check on Taiyang. "Bleu! We need a first-aid kit!" 

"Under the second seat" He shouted back. Noir grabbed the kit and walked over to Blake, he grabbed some gauze and pressed it against her side and taping it there. "That should last until we get to where we're going" 

"Where are we going?" Bleu asked as he looked back. 

"Mistral!, thats where the rest of the team's at!" With a nod, Bleu began to turn the ship towards their destination. 

"Care to tell us what's going on?" Yang asked as she held onto the rails above. 

"When we get there, boss'll explain everything to you way better than I can, just sit down and relax Blonde, take care of Kitty, she needs ya" He said as he pointed at her and Yang just nodded. 

Sitting down next to Blake, she took a deep sigh and looked over at her father, his aura hadn't refilled just yet and he still looked bad. Suddenly, Blake leaned over and rested against Yang's shoulder, she just looked sadly at the black haired faunus, and waited for them to arrive at their destination.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like always, thank you for reading and I'm always looking for feedback, tips and any other helpful tips you can offer.


	7. Home sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who have been reading since I've started writing this story, I've made some small edits on earlier chapters to fix a few spelling mistakes as well as additions. So if things didn't make much sense please read a them again and hopefully I've fixed them all.

The trip though Mistral was uneventful, Ruby looking over at Jaune every few minutes to make sure he was okay. He had a light limp and kept rubbing his left shoulder from where Cinder's arrow had pierced him. Nora and Ren looked at him with the same worried look that Ruby looked at Jaune with. A head of them, Krimson walked down the streets, the five of them stayed silent during their trip.

Ruby looked at a large window and saw a man in a suit looking at the camera. Ruby couldn't hear what was happening, but the headline caught her silver eyes. 31 people found dead in burnt out warehouse near the pier. Stopping dead in her tracks as she watched footage of Mistral law enforcement picking though the burnt rubble and the street in front of it had a long line of black bags. Ruby knew what they were filled with.

With her stopping, Ren looked at her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook his head. Noticing that the group had stopped, Krimson walked back to them and looked at what the rest of them were looking at. "Cinder's escape attack would have turned you into burnt crisps if I didn't do anything" He said looking at the screen. "It wasn't the best choice. A lot of people died in there, but I'm sticking with the choice I made" 

Ruby looked up at him and shook his head. "But, why did they have to die?" Ruby asked, her silver eyes meeting his, searching for an answer. "Because that's what happens, not everyone lives when they put their life on the line for their cause" Ruby looked back at the screen, she watched as an interview with someone in a uniform about what had happened. 

Her attention was taken away from the screen to a reflection in the glass, bright red hair in a ponytail. Golden armour and green eyes. Staring at her from across the street. Turning around, Ruby tried to see where the person was, but when she looked, the person wasn't there. Searching for ghosts, Ruby began to walk towards the street. 

"Ruby?" She didn't hear Jaune's voice, from the corner of her eye, she saw someone else dart into an alley. Bright red hair in a black hat, white coat and cane swinging around in his hand. "Roman?" She continued to walk towards the alley, she didn't hear Jaune yell her name, nor did she see the large truck that was heading right at her. 

"RUBY!" She was suddenly pulled back onto the side walk roughly as the horn blared as it passed. "Ruby! What the hell are you thinking?" Jaune asked as everyone looked at her. 

"What? I..." She then looked down where she thought she saw Roman, but all evidence was gone. "I thought..." A headache suddenly shot though her head and she cried out as she held her head. Krimson walked up to her and looked at her. "We need to get the lodge, some actual rest will do you guys some good" It sounded great to her. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Reaching the edge of city, they left civilization behind and began to trek thought he snow and wind into a forested area. "Keep your eyes open, the forests may be smaller in Mistral than in Vale, but that doesn't mean Grimm don't hide in here" They continued to move though the forest, their eyes constantly looking around. 

Again, though the trees, Ruby saw her again. The red ponytail of Pyrrha bouncing past some trees then disappearing from her sight. Closing her eyes, she tried to shake the sight from her eyes as they continued, eventually coming to a large clearing where a large manor was sitting covered in snow. 

"Welcome to the lodge" Krimson said as they made their way towards it. 

"Why is there such a large building outside the city?" Ruby asked as she caught up to Krimson and walked next to him. 

"Some rich guy thought it'd be a good idea to set up this lodge and invite other rich people to spend nights there. However, thanks to the constant threat of Grimm attacks, no one came, so the lodge got shut down and we took it over shortly after. They left in a hurry, left nearly everything there"

Ruby nodded as they got to the front of the front of the large double doors before they opened. Walking up to them a large man in suit of armour with a dusty grey cloak on his shoulders. His hair was short and white, his eyes were a piercing blue, a large scar went from his forehead under his hair went down all the way over his left eye and down to his jawline, it reminded Ruby of Weiss. A longing for her friend and partner to be by her side, she forced a smile as Krimson introduced him to her. 

"Ruby Rose, this is Grau, he's one of my teammates" The large man nodded to her "Welcome to the lodge" He said as he extended an armoured hand to welcome them in. Getting inside, the brushed the snow off of themselves and Krimson looked at Grau. "Any news?" The armoured man shook his head. "None, like I said before, until he gets back inside the CCT in Mistral, we won't be hearing from him" Krimson nodded as he looked at them. "I'll show you to your rooms" Krimson said before his scroll started to beep. 

Fishing it out and looking at it, he shook his head with a sigh. "Speak of the devil and he shall come" His scroll extended and he was about to say something but was stopped when a loud screeching erupted from the small metal device. 

_"Hey Krimson! is there a large area around the Lodge!"_ The man's voice was barely audible over what else is going on the other side of the call. 

"Yeah, why?" 

_"I brought you guys a present!"_

A sudden distrait look went over Krimson's face as he listened to the man on the scroll begin to argue with someone else named Bleu. 

"Have I ever told you that you're the only one that doesn't disappoint me on a hourly basis?" Krimson looked over at Grau and he nodded. 

"Almost every hour" 

Krimson nodded as he began to walk towards the door. "Don't tell Taang" 

Outside, the sound of loud engines echoed though the clearing of the forest, above them, a airship came towards them. On the side, the red logo of the White Fang could be seen as it touched down near the building. Everyone approached the airship's side and watched as back gate began to open the ramp settled on the ground. 

From the back, a man walked out and turned the corner and began to walk towards them. He was a shorter than Krimson, he wore a white and black plaid shirt with two massive pistols on his legs. A beanie on his head with his symbol stitched into the side. His eyes were off colour, one green one blue. He also had a large, wolfish grin as he spread his hands out motioned to the airship.

"So, what do you think, it'll get us all over Remnant, where the Witch might hide, we'll track her with this" He then tapped the hull and pointed at the White Fang Logo. "Need a fresh coat of paint, but it'll work, the pilot's nice" He then clapped his hands together and rubbed them together.

"Now, which one of you is Ruby Rose..." He said looking at the rest of them. Ruby slowly lifted her hand up nervously. "I-I am" Noir just blinked a few times before looking past her. "Right, stupid question, I've got a few presents for you" He smiled as he looked back and took a step back in time for a large bald man with a beard to walk around holding someone with a bashed in face. It took Ruby a few seconds before realizing who it was. 

"Dad?!" Ruby rushed to her father's side, helping him stand straight. "What the hell happened" 

"Hey honey" He said with a pained smile as he wrapped his arms around Ruby. She held him tightly before her father spoke. "Easy Rubes, I'm still healing" 

"Right, sorry" Ruby smiled and sniffed, tears threatening to spill over. "Hey, you the guy in charge?" Tai asked as he looked over at Krimson. He just walked up and nodded. "Yes"

"We've got injured that need immediate medical attention" Krimson looked back and swore. "Damn it Noir, you could have told me about this" Krimson said as he walked past Tai and Ruby saw something that didn't make any sense. 

Yang was holding onto Blake who had a large red bandage covering her side. "Yang? Blake?" Ruby rushed to help. 

"Grau, take her to the medical room" Krimson said as the armoured man took Blake from Yang and lifted her up lightly. Ruby never realized how large he really was until he picked up the pale faunus girl and began to rush her back to the Lodge. Ruby watched her go, as Krimson looked at Noir. "So you think a good present for a teenage girl is her father beaten to a pump, her armless sister and her friend who's bleeding out"

"Well, when you say it like that....No" Noir then looked to the ground as Krimson rushed after Grau.

Looking to her sister, she quickly pulled her into a hug and held her tightly. "What happened?" Ruby asked Yang as everyone followed the rest of the group back into the lodge, Yang and Ruby followed behind. 

"A bunch of White Fang stormed the house and kicked the door down, dad did his best to stop them but there was too many. They tried to kill us on camera but then the big guy and the dude in the hat saved us, they brought Blake with them. Mercury and Emerald were waiting for us and Blake got hurt badly, now we're here. But what about you, I've been told that you're hunting Cinder!" 

Ruby looked at her and nodded. "Yes, I am" 

"Are you nuts?" 

"I'm sorry Yang, but I needed to do something. Blake left, Weiss got taken back and you were sitting in your bed! I couldn't just sit like you did, I needed to do something!" 

"But you went alone!" Yang shouted, they were now alone in the snow, everyone had left to let them and went inside, deciding to let the sisters fight it out. 

"I wasn't alone, Jaune, Ren and Nora were with me!"

"They were not the same after Pyrrha died!" Yang shouted loudly, "She died! Ruby, she died and they were are not the same after. Jaune's broken and the other two are lost because the leader is not the same" Yang's voice began to get lower. "Ruby, what if she killed you too. What do you think dad would do if you died. You saw how he was with Summer's death, he wouldn't be able to handle it" 

Ruby was silent for a while as she just looked at the ground. "I'm sorry Yang, I just had to help in anyway I could, thats what Huntress's do, they help people" Ruby saw a reluctant smile form on Yang's lips as she shook her head. 

"My stupid sister, always wanting to be the hero" Yang pulled her into a hug again, the best she could do with only one arm. 

"Thanks sis" Ruby said quietly with a smile. "Come on, its cold out here" Yang nodded. 

"Yeah, we need to make sure Blake's okay" 

"Don't worry, Krimson's good at sewing, he sewed up Jaune when Cinder shot an arrow though his shoulder" 

"Wait, what?"

\---------------------------------------------------------

Blake let out a painful groan as she was gently set on a bed inside the medical room. The armoured man made way to the one with the red cloak as he turned on a bright light that shone over the bloodied bandage that was on her side. "Who the hell did this?" He asked. 

"Uh...Noir did" Blake said gently and he just nodded. 

"Yeah, that sounds right" He sighed as he got tools ready. Peeling the bandage off, he began to clean the wound and stitch it close. Each time the needle went it, she inhaled sharply in pain. Once she was stitched up, he applied a new bandage and nodded. "There you go, don't make any sharp movements and your aura will do the rest" 

"Thanks" Blake said as she sat up slowly. "So, who are you guys?" Blake asked as the man got up and washed his hands. 

"We'll explain in the lobby, you okay to walk on your own?" Blake nodded and began to walk with him down the halls. When they got to the lobby, everyone else was waiting for them. Blake went and sat with Yang a bench as Krimson stood before all of them.

Noir was sitting on the stairs that lead to the second story and Taang was standing near the front doors while the armoured man stood next to Noir. Ruby sat with her father on the other bench, Jaune, Ren and Nora stood next to Ruby, 

"I know things have been very strange over lately, I'm hoping to shed some light on that" The man in red cleared his throat. "My name is Krimson, these are my teammates Noir, Grau and Taang" Krimson gestured to each of them in turn and continued talking. "We are team KNGT, we take care of all the little problems that other kingdoms can't go public with." Blake saw the members of team KNGT nod in agreement. 

Krimson continued while looking at everyone. "Everyone here is because of a woman named Cinder Fall, she has become a very powerful person because she stole powers that wasn't her own" Blake looked to see that everyone had the same looks of confusion from everyone but Krimson continued to talk. "The powers she stole were that of the Fall Maiden" 

"Wait, you mean the fairytale about the four maidens?" Ruby asked as she leaned in a bit. Krimson just nodded. "Yes, the four maidens are real, they are real people that are living in this world, they have lived peacefully for a very long time, often in times of need, they display these powers and help, but like any power, it hurt people just as easily as it helps. The main reason Team KGNT exists is to hunt down those who misuse those powers" 

"Witch Hunters" Blake said slowly and Krimson nodded. "We call them Witches, they are very dangerous, and that is why team RWBY is our trump card for fighting Cinder and army of White Fang and Grimm" This made Tai stand up and point at him. 

"Why are my daughters your trump cards?" Tai asked pointing at him. "They have been though more than enough from Beacon you are not taking them away from me!" Krimson lifted his hands before Ruby jumped in front of him. 

"Dad, I'll do this, if they think we can do this, I'll do it" Tai just shook his head. 

"No, I can't let you do this" 

"Dad, I'm a Huntress, this is what I do" 

Tai sighed heavily and just looked at her. "I know Ruby, I'm just worried about my little girl" 

"I'm not so little any more" 

"No...No your not" Tai hugged Ruby again and it made Blake smile a little. It was nice to see them like that. 

"Good, then the last thing we need to do before we get started properly is to get the last member of team RWBY" Krimson said as he looked between everyone.

Ruby nodded as she released her father and looked at Krimson. "She was sent back to Atlas, that's where we'll find her" 

"Good, we'll leave tomorrow then, everyone get some rest and we'll unite RWBY tomorrow" 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

That night, everyone was shown to their rooms, Ruby was laying in the bed, unable to sleep, excited to be getting Weiss back on the team. Getting up, she began to pace the room in anticipation. Walking up to the window, she looked out at the snowy area around the lodge and began to imagine what this place must have been like when it was full of people. Looking at the tree line, her blood went cold as she saw two people standing out next to the trees. Pyrrha Nikos and Roman Torchwick were staring at her, faces emotionless. Slowly, Ruby walked away from the window and hid herself between the wall and the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest and quietly sobbed into her hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, any and all feed back is appreciated.


	8. Infiltration

_Running though the woods, past the trees and under the branches, Ruby was running as fast as she could. The trail of red she left behind blowing in the wind. Faster, faster so she can save her, but she was never fast enough. She reached the clearing of the woods just in time to watch Pyrrha Nikos look at her, and turn to dust. Ruby tried to scream, but found she had no voice, rushing to the pile of dust, she slowly lifted the bronze circlet and just stared at it, silently sobbing as a gust of wind sent the dust pile away._

_A soft click grabbed Ruby's attention, slowly looking back, she saw a man in a white coat with a cane in his hand. His other hand was holding a flip lighter that was lighting up his face. Bright hair covering one eye while the other had thick black eye-liner. He lit up a cigar before flipping it close. "What'd I tell you red?" Roman's voice echoed though the woods. "The world is cold, you want to be the hero? then die like one" He lifted his cane and pointed it at Ruby._

Knock knock knock

Ruby jumped against the wall she was sitting against since last night. Another round of knocking brought her back to her senses. "Ruby? you awake?" Yang's voice called though the door.

"Yeah!" Ruby's dry voice croaked out as she slowly got out from behind the bed.

"Hurry up, Ren made pancakes and Nora might eat them all!"

Ruby sighed as she made her way to the bathroom in her bedroom and washed her face with cold water. Looking at herself in the mirror, Ruby could see the dark bags under her eyes from weeks of poor sleep. Closing her eyes, she took deep breaths and spoke to herself gently. "They're not real, they're dead, they can't hurt you..." Opening her eyes again, gathering whatever nerves she had left, she nodded to herself in the mirror and left to get dressed for the day.

Making her way to the dining hall, which was huge, lots of wooden round table with chairs stacked on top of the tables that was not being used. She saw most of everyone at the lodge were already eating. Her father was looking much better, the swelling had gone down a lot. He was sitting next to Yang who was having a hard time cutting though her plate of pancakes, using the side of her fork to cut off bites. Next to her was Blake, looking torn between sitting there quietly or just taking Yang's plate to cut them for her.

At the next table, Nora was looking lovingly at the plate of pancakes that Jaune was eating, his arm was still stiff and he looked tired, probably got the same amount of sleep that Ruby did, which is to say not very much at all.

Walking out of silver wing doors, Ren was holding a few plates as he smiled and nodded to Ruby. Sitting next to Blake, Ren set one of the plates in front of her as Krimson, Noir and Grau walked in. Ruby smiled and waved lightly, Krimson just nodded Noir took up a table near by. Ren walked up to him and just looked down at Noir.

"No hats at the table"

"What? you my mum?"

"Just do it Noir, he cooked the food, he makes the rules" Krimson said as he walked past Noir and sat down across from him. "Which we really appreciate, thank you Ren" Ren just smiled and nodded as he set one of the plates in front of Krimson and waited for Noir. During the exchange, all eyes were on him, waiting to see what he'll do.

With a heavy, exaggerated sigh, he pulled the beanie off his head and scratched the mess of black hair that hid under, as well as two perky wolf ears on top of his head. A shocked expression stretched across everyone's faces with the new discovery. Satisfied, Ren put his plate in front of him and Noir began to eat it.

With everyone fed, they all met up in the lobby of the lodge for the mission overview. Everyone stood by and waited as Krimson walked up to them and began to speak loudly. "Okay, we're going to Atlas to recover the last of team RWBY, to do that, we'll need a small infiltration team since its unlikely Weiss's father will just let her go" Getting agreeable nods from everyone Krimson continued.

"The infultration team will be made up of Ruby, Grau and myself-"

"Wait, just the three of you?" Tai asked as he took a step forward.

"Yes, a smaller team will have a better chance to get in and out without getting noticed-"

"Then I'm going as well"

Krimson shook his head. "No, no offence Taiyang, but your aura is still recovering, the same is said for Nora and Ren. Janue and Blake are still recovering their wounds and Yang has only one arm" Ruby looked over at Yang who was gritting her teeth and stormed off. Ruby watched Blake chase after her gently, holding her side as she jogged after the blonde as Krimson continued.

"I can't trust Noir to not make a giant scene and Taang is a massive man covered in scars. Grau knows Atlas inside and out and Ruby will be able to convince Weiss to come back if need be" Ruby nodded as Grau walked up to the door and waited Ruby noticed a very large sword on his back, Ruby doing the same. "Don't worry dad, I'll be fine" Ruby smiled at him softly. Slowly nodded, Tai took a deep breath and pointed at Krimson.

"You'd better keep her safe" Krimson nodded and began to open the large doors to the outside. "Taiyangs in charge" Krimson called out.

"What! Thats bullshit! Why is he in charge!" Noir called out as Krimson was leaving.

"Becuase he's one of the last adults here I can trust"

"Fuck this, I'm going to my room" Noir then stormed up the stairs is an exaggerated manner, making Ruby giggle lightly as they left the lodge. Outside, they began to walk towards the waiting airship. The red White Fang logo was painted over with a poorly matched colour for the rest of the hull.

Walking up to meet them, the blue haired pilot waved at them awkwardly. "Uh, hi" Krimson shook his hand lightly. "Thank you again for staying on as our pilot Bleu, it really makes missions a lot of easier"

"No problem, its the least I can do after Noir saved me from the White Fang" Krimson nodded as they got inside. Ruby sat down in a seat and watched as Krimson and Grau took up seats across from her. Soon afterwards, the airship began to rise into the air and fly off towards Atlas and Weiss.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

It took much longer than expected to arrive at Atlas, nearly five hours and Ruby was bored out of her mind. Grau was just sitting there with his arms crossed over his large armoured chest and his head down. Krimson was doing the same, though she knew he was awake from the way he scratched his nose every few minutes. Before the quiet drove her mad, Ruby talked to Krimson.

"So, do you guys usually sleep on these trips?" She asked, Krimson looked up at her and cleared his throat. "Yeah, you learn to get as much sleep as you can on missions" Krimson looked over at Grau and gestured at him lightly. "It get easier to do it"

Ruby nodded as she looked around the empty ship lightly. "So, Cinder is a Maiden?" Ruby asked and Krimson nodded. "Yeah, its usually a bit more complicated than that but she managed to steal that power somehow, Qrow is still investigating the means, but if people like Cinder can just steal those powers, things are going to get a lot more complicated much faster" Ruby nodded as she looked over at the back of the ship at the ramp.

"So, how do you know uncle Qrow?" she asked after another stretch of silence.

Krimson took a few seconds to think it over before speaking. "Qrow is part of a brotherhood that exists to protect world, keeping all the bad things that no knows about from from hurting them. Team KNGT is one of the many back up plans that the brotherhood have in place in case things go bad"

"Bad like the maiden becoming evil?"

"well, Cinder stole the Fall Maiden's powers so she was never really a proper maiden so its a little more complicated than that, but yes" Krimson nodded as a few alarms began to go off. Krimson got out of his seat and walked up to the cockpit, quickly followed by Grau who was awake in a second, his armoured boot echoing though the ship. Ruby followed afterwards to see what she can see.

_"Unidentified airship, you are entering Atlas air space, we require identification and permission codes or you will be shot out of the sky"_

Bleu looked back at them with wide eyes. "Uh...permission codes anyone?" Krimson turned to Grau and raised an eyebrow. Krimson moved out of the way and Grau grabbed the head set and brought it to his mouth. "Alpha gamma ice 6-4-2"

Another long silence before the woman on the line spoke again. _"I'm sorry but those codes are out of date, please produce valid codes or you will be shot down"_ Bleu then looked around very worried . "Is there a plan B?"

_"Unidentified airship, you will be shot down unless you produce valid codes"_

"A plan C? D? I'll take any letter at this point"

_"Unidentified airship you have thirty seconds to comply"_

Suddenly, Ruby grabbed the headset and pulled over her head. "I'm sorry but we're here to see Weiss Schnee" Everyone looked at her with a shocked expression,

_"Miss Schnee?"_

"Yes, I'm one of her friends from Beacon, I wanted to come over to surprise her"

_"Understood, I'll inform miss Schnee about your arrival"_

"No please! I wanted it to be a surprise so if you could not let anyone know, it would mean a lot to her I'm sure"

Another stretch of silence as Ruby held her breath and waited to hear back.

_"Understood, please proceed to bay five"_

Everyone let out a collective breath that they were holding in. "Quick thinking" Grau said as he patted her shoulder, his large armoured hand nearly making her fall to the floor as he went back to his seat. "Yeah, good job" Krimson said with a nod as Ruby returned the headset back to Bleu. "Never though dropping the Schnee name would actually save my life" Bleu said as he began to make their way down to the assigned area they were given.

Upon docking, Grau had his cloak wrap around his shoulders, covering much of his armour as the three of them walked down the ramp. "The Schnee manor is near the edge of the city, we should get going before people notice" Grau said as they began to make their way though the city towards their objective.

\------------------------------------------------

"And I thought the winter in Mistral was bad, this is horrible" Ruby said as she shivered inside her cloak. Krimson nodded lightly. They had been waiting inside of an alley down the street from the manor. Grau looked fine, sitting against the wall with his arms folded over his chest and his head down, sleeping again.

They had seen the manor before hiding away and it was massive, Ruby couldn't imagine a larger place, four entire blocks were gated off just for the Schnee estate. They had formulated a plan and were now waiting for night to fall. When it did, it got even colder than Ruby imagined, she was thankful when they started moving.

They reached the back of the estate and they looked up a large wall and nodded. "So, how are we getting in?" Ruby asked as Grau pulled his arm our and Ruby noticed that his right arm had something similar to Weiss's revolving dust canisters on Myrtenaster. He spun it around his and selected the vial of white dust and made a hand gesture and a glyph appeared on the ground. Krimson nodded and stepped onto the white glyph and easily leapt over the wall using it. Ruby followed suit with Grau bringing up the rear.

Running across the back lawn, they approched a door on the side of the manor and Grau produced a key and opened it. Ruby had no idea how he had a key to Weiss's house, but she just followed Krimson in, Grau closed it behind them quietly and they continued though the dark halls with Grau leading. Eventually they ended up at a large lobby area and Grau looked to Ruby and looked at her. "Okay, this is where you go find Weiss, now pay attention" He then held his hands up and closed his eyes. "Her room will be second story, up those stairs take the following turns. Left, left, second right, left then it'll be on the second right hand door" His hands squeezing the direction he said.

Ruby just stared at him then nodded. "How do you know all that?" She asked as looked up the stairs and saw the corridor that she needed to go down.

"I have a good memory" Grau said as he lowered his hands and looked at Ruby. "You got that?" Ruby nodded and got ready. "Now you need to be fast-" But Ruby was already sprinting down the halls, leaving a trail of rose petals behind. "Right...lets get get the rest of the stuff ready" Krimson just nodded and they headed down another doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and any feedback is welcome.


	9. Poison flavoured ice Cream

Another sleepless night for Weiss Schnee, her bed was large and soft, her room dark and silent, everything was just right for her to drift to sleep. It was all too perfect. With a heavy sigh, Weiss got out of bed and wrapped herself in her soft, white robes and walked to the balcony door and looked over the city. She missed it, she missed the cramped room she shared with her team. 

Yang's bear snores in the middle of the night, the sound pages being turned when Blake thought she being quiet, the waiting death trap that hung above her every night. Just thinking of it made Weiss feel sleepy, she never thought that those sounds would be the ones she would fall asleep to every night for a whole year. With another sigh, she looked at herself in the reflection of the glass, she was going to be strong in front of her father when she learned that he was coming for her, but instead, she crumpled and obeyed like a puppet. She never even got to say goodbye to Ruby.

Ruby, just thinking about her old partner made her depressed. The way she would freak out about someone's weapon, the way she devoured a box of cookies made her stomach upset just watching it. Her trail of rose petals she'd leave whenever she would dart down the hall without a second thought. The way she'd say her name when she knew she was in trouble, with a quiet harsh whisper.

"Weiss" 

Just like that, if she just thought about it hard enough, she could almost hear it in her mind. 

"Weiss" 

Weiss opened her eyes suddenly, she could see the confused look on herself as she was sure she heard Ruby's voice in her ears and not her mind. 

"Weiss, its me Ruby" 

Looking at the door, Weiss walked across the large room and opened it, seeing nothing, she poked her head out to the hallway and looked down to see a young woman in a red cloak pressing herself against a door. Weiss had to blink a few times just to make sure she wasn't imagining things. 

"Ruby?" 

The woman looked down at Weiss and then back at the door. 

"That's the bathroom..." Weiss said before Ruby materialized herself before Weiss in a flurry of rose petals. Weiss looked down the hallway before grabbing the red girl and pulled her into her room before closing the door before one of the guards turned the corner. 

"What the hell are you doing here, you dolt!" Weiss asked in a harsh whisper. Instead of answering her question, Ruby just threw herself around Weiss and held her tightly. Taken back lightly, she hugged her back, her face going into the crook of her neck and held the small girl tightly. "You've gotten taller" Weiss whispered lightly. Ruby jsut giggled gently. "I've missed you" 

"I missed you too" 

After they shared their moment, the two girls pulled away from each other and smiled at each other. Weiss cleared her throat and looked at her. "So, what are you doing here?" Weiss asked her again and Ruby grinned.

"I'm a secret mission to get you back from your father so that we can get the team together and stop the White Fang and Cinder who's actually the fall maiden but since she's evil she's been named a Witch so I'm working with the same people my uncle Qrow works with who help keep the world safe and your hair looks good down" 

Weiss gently grabbed her hair and pulled it over her shoulder and nervously ran her fingers though it. Looking at the wide eyed huntress, she shook her head. "Ruby, you're going after Cinder? After what she did?" 

Ruby's grin faded and she looked at the ground. "I know, but I need to do this, I need to avenge Pyrrha and Penny. I want to get my home back, I want to be a Huntress, not some Refugee in another kingdom" Ruby's voice got really quiet. "I want us all back together as a team again" Weiss sighed lightly as she shook her head lightly with a roll of her eyes. 

"You dolt" 

"I know" 

"You have any idea how dangerous that is?" 

"I know" 

"People can get hurt" 

"I know" 

"Or worse" 

"I know" 

Weiss smiled a little bit with another roll of her eyes. "Let me get dressed" 

"Yay!" Ruby threw her arms into the air in celebration as Weiss walked past her into her closet. 

Weiss heard Ruby walk past her as the doors opened. Turning the light on, she began to walk past the short corridor that was lined with clothing she never wore into a square area with a bench. Against the wall was an entire wall of shoes she's never worn. "Wow Weiss, my bedroom isn't even this big" 

"Yeah well, I've never even worn most of the things that are in here" She said as she grabbed her snowpea outfit and began to put it on behind a curtained off section of her closet. The thought of Ruby seeing her changing brought colour to her cheeks. She came back after a few minutes she walked out and grabbed her boots and put them on as Ruby was feeling some of the fabric of something she never wore. She then packed a bag with a few more clothing in and threw it over her shoulder.

"Come on, lets get going" 

Ruby put it back and nodded and followed her. Before they left the bedroom, Weiss walked to a mantle and picked up Myrtenaster off the wall and spun the revolving chamber before putting it on her hip. "Ready" Ruby smiled and nodded as they headed out the door.

Moving through the halls, the two of them met up with two others in the back lobby. One of them had a large red cloak and the other had a large white cloak that was covering a suit of armour that looked familiar to her. "She coming with us?" The red man asked. 

"Yes, she's with us" Ruby said in a happy whisper. "Weiss, this is Krimson and Grau" Each of them nodded in turn as Grau leaned in. "The way we went in won't work, we'll have to use the front lobby" With nods all around, they began to make their way though the manor, Weiss was surprised that Grau knew his way around the manor, she still couldn't shake the fact that she knew him from somewhere.

Reaching the main lobby, they turned to go out the front door when they all stopped. Standing at the large double doors of the manor was a very large dog looking up at them. It was one of the guard dogs that the security people use. Weiss held her breath as it looked between the four of them, she felt that the slightest movement would send this dog into a fit and it would alert the entire estate. 

Slowly, Grau began to kneel down and extended his hand outwards. At this gesture, the dog began to trot across the marble floor towards him happily. Grau smiled lightly and patted the dog with his hand. "Oh you are just the biggest suck aren't you" Grau said as he patted it's side and got back up. 

Suddenly, Weiss was blinded by the lights in the room coming on all at once. Next the sound of several people running in behind them. Looking back, ten Atlesian Knight-200 models with their weapons trained on them stood ready. A petite woman with her hands behind her back wearing a Atlas security uniform. Above them on second floor over looking the main lobby, Weiss's breath was caught in her throat and her blood went cold. 

An older man walked out and placed his hands on the railing and looked down at them. "Well, what do we have here...." He spoke looking down at them her father said looking at Weiss. "Weiss, my last daughter, heir to all that I own, being stolen away from me" 

"She's not something you can own" Grau announced as he walked away from the dog and stood between them and the robots. 

"Ah, the prodigal son returns" he said as he looked down at him. Weiss looked at him in shock. 

"Hey pops" Grau said with a simple wave.

"I thought I made it perfectly clear that I never wanted to see you in Atlas ever again" 

"I guess that's just another tick on the list of disappoint you've got for me" 

Her father sighed heavily and shook his head. "A very long list I assure you" He began to pace charismatically. "First, you disobey me by breaking my orders when I graciously accepted you into my home after your mother had died. Second, you stole my suit of experimental armour-"

"I made this armour-"

"Third, you return to my sight and as if things weren't bad enough, I find you kidnapping my daughter" This time, it was Ruby took a step forward and shouted at him. 

"We're not kidnapping her, we're saving her from you!" 

The look he gave the silver-eyed girl such a venous look and she bowed her head and backed behind Krimson. 

"Officer, please retrieve my property as well as my daughter" 

The woman nodded simply and began to walk towards them. Weiss watched her slowly smirk as she drew her side arm and looked Weiss straight in the eyes. The woman blinked and she watched the woman's eyes change from pale blue to pink and brown, she grinned and pointed the handgun right at Weiss and she froze. 

"Weiss!" Ruby called out as she unfolded Crescent Rose and managed hit her hand in time to make her miss. She then did several back flips back to where the robotic soldiers were and ran her hand though her hair, making turn from black to pink and brown with white stripes. 

"What the hell are you doing?" Weiss's father asked as he leaned over the railing to see what was happening. The woman reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll and began to flip though the options before holding it up in the air and pushing the screen. Suddenly, the robots behind her turned a dangerous red and began to aim their rifles at Weiss's father and opened fire. He quickly ran down the hallway to escape the barrage of rifle fire as everyone took out their weapons. Neopolitan quickly running up the stairs to chase after him.

"Ruby!, Weiss! Run! We've got the robots, you stop her from killing him!" With a nod Ruby grabbed Weiss's arm and they ran though a side door in a flash of red petals. 

"We need to find your dad!" Ruby shouted as they ran though the cold house was now warm with auto rifle fire. The feeling of dread filling in the pit of her stomach as the two of them went to stop an assassin from killing the man who imprisoned her her entire life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my story. Any and all feedback is welcome.


	10. Right foot Forward

"Fuck this! I'm going to my room" 

Noir's voice echoed though the halls as Blake chased after Yang after she had stormed off. She held the bandage on her side as she picked up her pace to try and catch up to the blonde. "Yang!, Wait up!" She stopped and turned back at her. "What." 

"What was that all about?" Blake asked as she stopped in front of her and dropped her hand off her side. 

"He's right, Blake. I only have one arm, I can barely dress myself, what makes you think I can help her like this?" Yang held up her stump and shook her head. 

"What about prosthetics?" Blake asked and Yang just scoffed and shook her head. 

"Even if we sold everything we owned, we couldn't even afford the cheapest thing scrap metal to make one. There's nothing I can do to help her" Yang took a deep breath and leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. "I'm a broken woman while my baby sister is out saving the world" 

Blake reached out and put a hand on her shoulder gently but Yang just shook it off and began to walk down the hall. "I'm going to take a shower" She said angerly and just walked. 

"Do you need help?" 

_"No"_ Yang spat without looking over her shoulder, just quick enough for Blake to feel hurt. Watching her leave, she for Yang to leave her sight before Blake began to walk back. Everyone had left the lobby and went to do their own thing, Blake decided to simply wonder and explore the lodge. 

In her travels, she found the lodge was very large, it had a large gym with a supply room filled with several sports equipment. A fitness room with several different exercise machines, on the other side of the building was an extravagant banquet hall with a stage with a piano and a microphone stand at the end of the room and an entire wall filled with glass bottles with different alcohols inside of them behind a bar that went down the entire length of the room. 

The dining hall they were in before was cleaned from breakfast and the chairs were set in, and unused buffet line with polished silver containers with a layer of dust on them. The kitchen was large enough to fill the buffet and the banquet hall of food at the same time. 

Upstairs was filled with more bedrooms, each room had either one large bed or two smaller ones, each bedroom had a full bathroom with a shower in it, a large window that looked out over the wilderness around them. Eventually, she found her self in a very large library, the smell of old books and leather filled the room and she smiled lightly. Gently running her hand down the backs of the books, she walked around for a bit until she saw a familiar figure sitting at a table. A cloth covered half of the table with pieces of his handguns scattered across the cloth. Noir's hat was off and as she approached his wolf ears twitched towards her. 

"Hey Kitty Cat" He said without even looking at her. Blake sighed lightly as she walked up to him and looked over his shoulder at the disassembled pistol that he was cleaning. "What brings you up here?" He asked her as he set one piece down and picked up another to clean with a oily cloth. 

"Just exploring the lodge" Blake said as she watched him. "So, that's how you knew I was a faunus?" she asked as she sat across from him. 

"Like I said, the nose knows" He said with a smirk as he tapped his nose again. 

"Ruby would go nuts if she saw this" Blake said looking at his weapons scattered across the cloth. 

"She a gun-nut?" 

"Like you wouldn't believe" 

Noir smiled lightly as he continued to clean the pieces. "She hasn't been sleeping well though, hopefully that doesn't effect the mission" Noir said lightly as he slowly began to put the pieces together. 

"How can you tell?" 

"Bags under the eyes, pale complexion, she spaces out sometimes and it takes a few seconds for her to register when someone talks so her" 

Blake stared at him as he listed off everything that she's noticed when she met Ruby for the first time since Beacon. "You just met her yesterday"

"And I can already tell that she's going though something that all Hunters go though sooner or later in their career" He then looked up at her raised his eyebrow. Blake knew what he was talking about but didn't want to bring it up near her. 

"I know, she's been through a lot" Blake said quietly as she began to pick at her nails lightly, uncomfortable talking about it. 

"Well, I only saw what the Vytal festival showed before they cut off broadcast as that one girl got torn to shreds, it was brutal" 

"Penny, her name was Penny. She was Ruby's friend" Blake said quietly as the soft clicks of Noir putting his weapons back together. "Then there was Pyrrha, Cinder killed her right in front of her eyes" Noir just nodded lightly.

"I take it she hasn't really found a way to deal with it yet..."

"What makes you say that?" 

"Because she's having trouble sleeping and staring off into space- have you not been listening to me?" He asked as he moved his arms around. "I notice things, thats my semblance, in a second, I can see every little detail in anything or anyone I look at. Thats why my eye glows" He said as he pointed to his right green eye. "I've gotten good at reading people over the years, and I can see that she's hurting. What she needs right now is her friends and family, lest she find comfort in the bottom of a bottle like her uncle"

That last part hit Blake hard, in just one night after meeting Ruby, he knew all of the problems she was going though, and Blake learned all of this from him instead from her last night. "The same goes for that sister of hers, keep and eye on her" Noir told her as he got up and holstered the weapons on his sides and looked at her. "She's more likely to dive head first into booze, I've seen that look on people's faces before" He then knocked on the table and collected his hat and cloth before putting his hat on his head and started walking out of the library.

"What about you, have you lost anyone during your time as a Hunter?" Blake asked him. He stopped and looked at her. His voice was low and tense "More than you know..."

"Then how do you deal with it?" 

"By sucking it up and continuing on with my job" 

Anger flashed past Blake's face as she stood up from her chair. "And what is your job? killing people?" 

"Yes. I kill those who would kill me and those around me" 

"Just like those White Fang members at Vale?"

"Yes. Just like that"

"You didn't even think twice about killing them"

"Right. What did I tell you when you first met me. No hesitation! You hesitate and people die. Hesitate and the people you are trying to _protect_ die, I learned that lesson a long time ago, I hope you learn it faster than I did" He told her as he walked out of the library, being rather loud about it as well. It took a while for Blake to understand what he was saying with his accent, but she managed to put it piece it together.

Looking around, Blake knew he was right, and with a deep breath, she got out of her seat and went to go looking for Yang, hoping to get to her before she went down that road.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After storming away from Blake, Yang decided not to go back to the room she was given. Instead, she heard that there was a locket room so she decided to to get cleaned up there instead, less things she can knock over trying to get in and out of her clothing. She found the locker room and simply walked right in without much care. 

White tile walls with blue tile floors, as basic as it gets for a locker room. Along one side, she found a wall of lockers stacked on top of each other, they were all unlocked and had a towel inside of them already, in front of them was a nice metal bench, she was just about to walk to a locker when something caught her eye off in the shower area of the locker room. A large scarred man sitting on short stool with his back turned to her. 

"Oh- I'm sorry!" Yang said as she began to walk away, Taang looked back at her. 

"Yang Xiao Long. It is alright, I am almost done" He called out of her as he reached up with a large knife and began to scrap it across his head. "You do know this the men's locker room right?" 

"Yeah, sorry I wasn't paying attention, I had something...on my...mind" Yang then noticed that he still had his large bronze gauntlets on while he was shaving his head. Yang stopped and watched him for a second. "Why do you still have your weapons on?"

Taang looked at his wrists like he had forgotten about it and took a deep breath. "This is my punishment" He spoke as he continued to scrape the knife across his head. "Your punishment?" 

"Yes, with these scars and gauntlets, both were given to me many years ago for something I had done" He finished shaving his head before cleaning the knife in a bucket he had near his feet, he then stood up and put the stool against the wall before walking towards her. His shirt was off but he still had the dark yellow pants on. Up close, she could see all the scars on his body, even up to his head, some were caused by Grimm, and vast majority looked deliberate, thousands of small cuts all along his skin.

"What did you do?" Yang asked as he grabbed a towel and began to dry off his head. 

"It was a very long time ago, probably before you were born" He said as he looked away from her. "A long while ago, I was a Hunter, we went hunting a large group of Grimm just outside Haven, it was much larger than we estimated, in our inexperience, we thought we could take them, but that resulted in the deaths of my entire team, including my younger brother" 

Hearing that part, Yang stared at him as he looked at the ground and began to run his fingers over his bronze gauntlet. "In my grief, I lost myself, not only killing the Grimm, but continuing on into a neighbouring village. There, I was still lost in my rage and I killed everyone there, every man, woman and child" He then walked towards Yang slowly. 

"When I came to, I was locked up in a monastery for several months, there I was told what I did, and I accepted my punishment. For every day I repented, I marked my flesh, for everyone I killed, they forged an iron link and created a chain that I wore during my time there." He then opened one of his gauntlets and showed her. Some of them were old while others were not as aged. "It was shortly after that Krimson recruited me for his team" 

Yang didn't know what to say to this, she just watched him as he began to put his shaving tools away in a locker before closing it, the razor looked more like a sharpened length of iron than an actual razor. "I think I would lose it if something happened to my baby sister as well, I just hate that I can't do anything right now..." Yang looked down at her bandaged up stump and gritted her teeth,

"Be warned, Yang Xiao Long" He said to her as he began to leave. "Anger makes a soul stronger, it makes one push further and dig deeper than they thought possible" He then looked at her, deep blue eyes met lilac as he finished his words. "But _hatred_ , hatred is a poison of the soul, it corrupts and darkens it, making you no better than a mindless Grimm" Yang watched him walk out of the locker room.

Yang gritted her teeth and punched the wall out of anger, she cracked the white tiles and sighed heavily. She felt her aura starting to heal the cuts she just inflected on herself by punching a tile wall. She watched some blood trickle down before taking another breath and began to make her way out of the men's locker room, still feeling dread about not being able to help Ruby.

Walking though the halls of the lodge, she found herself in the exercise room and her eyes laid on a pristine punching bad that was set up near the back of the room. Making her way too it, she needed to release some pent up rage and ran her fingers along the rough material before her hand balled into a fist, cocked her fist back before throwing a punch into it, then another, then another. 

Throwing all her weight into one more punch, she was thrown off balance and fell into the wall, her semblance activated and punched the wall, sending her fist though the drywall and cried out in anguish as she did it three more times. Taking deep, ragged breaths, she looked at herself in the reflection of the mirror and saw her red eyes with tears running down her cheeks. 

She leaned her back against the wall and fell against it. She stared at the ceiling for a while, lost in her own thought. "What makes you think you can protect your baby sister when you can't even throw a proper punch now..." Yang said to herself. 

"Practice would help" Yang opened her eyes and looked over and saw Blake standing next to the punching bag, her hand on it, lightly tracing the place she was punching. "Or we can beg Weiss when she gets here to throw some of her family wealth around" Yang smirked slightly as she took a deep breath. 

"We can just say it'll make Ruby happy, she'll do anything for her" Blake smiled at Yang's remark as she walked up to her and held her hand out. "You sure?"

"Totally" Yang grabbed Blake's hand and pulled herself up and nodded quickly. "Thanks for coming to Patch for me" Yang said as she smiled at Blake. The black haired woman nodded and began to walk out of the room. "Krimson's going to be upset with those holes..." 

"Probably"

"lets see if we can find some cookies for Ruby"

Yang nodded with Blake's suggestion and looked around in silence for a few moments before Blake broke it. "What do you think she's doing right now?"

"Probably doing what she's always wanted to do. Save people"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going to be bouncing between characters to try and break up the action with some more fluff and character development. Thanks for reading and any feed back is welcome.


	11. Half a Snowflake

Weiss and Ruby ran down the hallways of the Schnee family manor. It was more like Ruby was dragging her by her arm until the sounds of Krimson and Grau fighting the robots were gone behind them. "Ruby wait" Weiss said as she nearly tripped for the fifth time. Finally stopping, Weiss put her hand on her knees to catch her breath before looking up at Ruby. "Do you even know where you're going you dolt?" She asked between her deep breaths.

Looking down the long hallways, Ruby sighed as she rubbed the back of her neck. "No, sorry" Weiss stood back up and placed a hand on her shoulder. She was about to say something when automatic rifle fire echoed though the halls following screams of the staff that worked in the manor. Looking at each other, they nodded and began to sprint down the hall to stop the robots.

When they got there, the robots were standing over three people. A cleaning cart overturned and supplies thrown around. Pools of blood forming under the people as the two machines looked up at the new comers and lifted their rifles to them. Despite them being away from each other for so long, they synchronized together perfectly as Weiss created a Glyph in front of them and Ruby fired off several rounds into it, sending out shots into the machines, they froze on contact and stopped them from moving and firing. 

Jumping over Weiss, Ruby swung Crescent Rose in a large arc and cleaved the two of them in half in a single swing. They fell to the ground in sparks and dust as they twitched their last moments as Ruby fell to the ground. Weiss looked at the people laying on their stomachs, face down in a pool of blood. She recognized them as the night cleaning crew. She didn't even know their names, and now their dead in her home. 

Ruby looked at them and shook her head. "I wasn't fast enough" Weiss heard Ruby say as she looked at them. Gripping Crescent Rose, she darted down the hallway, leaving a trail of petals. "Ruby!" Weiss shouted at her, but she was gone, such a pained look on Ruby's face broke her heart. Taking one last look at the broken mechs, Weiss took off down the hall to try and catch up to Ruby. 

Running down the hall, she had no idea where her partner ran, her red petals had already disappeared into nothingness, with nothing to go on, she began to head towards where her father's safe room was near the back of the manor in his study. Hearing loud mechanical thuds, she prepared herself by readying Myrtenaster for a strong thrust to the neck, she waited for the robot to turn the corner before thrusting right at its neck. With a sudden movement, it brought a great sword down and Weiss quickly brought up a black glyph to stop the massive blade from hitting her, while the robot said the same.

Instead, she found herself staring into the light blue eyes of Grau, who had stopped her thrust in a similar way with a black glyph of his own. Staring at each other for a few moment, they began to pull their weapons away from each other, glyphs dissipating as they stood and looked at each other. Weiss noticed a large scar running from the left of his forehead all the way down his jawline going over his left eye. 

"Weiss, where is Ruby?" Grau asked as he adjusted his gauntlet lightly, changing the canisters of dust that was inside of them. 

"I don't know, she sprinted off a few moments ago" Grau nodded began to walk down the hall. "I think that woman was heading towards Father's safe room-" 

"His study, we need to hurry" Grau finished her sentence as he began to move down the correct hallway towards her Father's study. Following closing, Weiss looked up at him as he towered over her in his armour. The silence being broken by his thumping footsteps and the speratic echo of gunfire went though the halls. He held his great sword in one hand. 

"Why did you call my father pops?" Weiss asked him. He looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "I know its hard to believe, but I'm your half-brother" He said simply as they continued to walk. 

"What?" She cried out as she stopped and looked at her. "How?" 

"Long story short, one of his friends decided that it would be fun to bring some 'hired entertainment' to his twenty first birthday. Afterwards, I was born, and thats how babies are come from" 

Weiss huffed as she shook her head. "I know where babies-" She stopped herself and took a breath. "Why have I never heard of you before" 

"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that people knowing that he has an illegitimate son wouldn't look very good on paper" 

"I just cant accept that, he may be a horrible, horrible man, but he'd never cheat on my mother" 

"This during their engagement. On paper, I don't exist" Grau said as they walked down the hall towards her father's study. 

"No, he can't have done that" Weiss said as they walked. 

"Believe it or not, but as much as I hate that man, he's one of the pillars of Atlas, if he dies, the whole kingdom becomes ripe for anti-faunus and White Fang supporters to go to war, giving Cinder the foot hold she needs to tear Atlas apart, just like she did with Vale" 

She listened to him and he was right, swallowing her pride for the time being, she straightened her shoulder and lifted her chin. "We can talk about this later, after we find Ruby" She said as she walked past him. 

"If you need to" Grau said simply as they reached the door to the study, Ruby and Krimson trying to open the double door. Around them, piles of robots were broken and scattered, the two of them were crouched next to the door knob with a different pieces of metal in their hands, trying to pick the lock. 

"What are you two doing" Grau asked as they walked up to the scene. 

"The door is locked, we're trying to get into it" Krimson said quickly as he tried another piece of scrap metal with Ruby nodding quickly in agreement. 

"We've tried three different lengths of metal, I've almost got it" Ruby said as she watched Krimson while turning the knob when he nods. 

"Why don't you just break down the door" Weiss asked. At that, the two red cloaked hunters looked at each other with the realization that what they were doing was stupid. 

"You idiot"

"You dolt"

Grau and Weiss looked at each other as they spoke at the same time. The two of them cleared their throats before Grau walked up to the door. "Move" He said simply. Krimson and Ruby took a few wide steps away from the door and Grau lifted his large armoured boot and landed straight in the middle of the double doors, the expensive wood splintered all over the ground as the four of them entered the study.

The study was very large, the one wall were lined with book shelves lined with old tomes and novels, across the shelves were two very large windows that looked out over the city. In front of them was a large wooden desk, behind it was a fireplace with a flame crackling, filling the silent room with what little noise it made.

In front of the desk, the chair that Neo pulled around and sat in, she had changed her clothing to a white and pink long coat over a black corset, brown pants and white high boots. She had her legs crossed and a dangerous look on her face.

Next to her was Weiss's father on his knees, his arms behind his head. Looking up at them as they entered, he looked very displeased look on his face. In one of her hands was a cane sword while her other hand was rubbing a silver flip lighter with her thumb affectionately. 

"Weiss-" Her father was caught off by Neo quickly swinging the sword under his chin and silenced him quickly. Everyone stayed still in case she jerked her arm to open his throat, the smallest movement would spray blood all over the expensive carpet that lined his study.

She flipped it open and lit it while staring right at Ruby. With a gently nudge of her head, Ruby slowly moved over to the window from the rest of them. Flipping the lighter closed, she then held it up and showed the silver-eyed girl. She took a good look at it and her eyes widen. "That...Roman's" Neo nodded simply as she clutched it and continued to stare at her with death in her eyes. 

Weiss looked over as she noticed Grau was slowly turning the rotating dust canisters along on his wrist until he settled on a deep blue dust. "Wait for it" Krimson whispered gently. "Frozen Moon on my mark" Grau nodded as he slowly moved his other hand and held his great sword with two hands. Weiss felt her heart slamming against her chest, Ruby was singled out, and they were doing nothing to stop it. 

"I'm sorry, but he was eaten by a Grimm-" Neo swung her blade and pointed at Ruby threateningly at her. 

"Now!" Krimson charged right at Neo as Grau gestured sharply with his hand and a Glyph appeared under her father, it sent him flying into the bookshelf just as Neo realized what was happening, she tried swinging the blade to kill him, but he was just out of her reach. Krimson was right on top of her with his large scythe. She jumped out of her seat and over the back of the chair, landing on the table she kicked the chair towards him and Krimson knocked it out of the way as Grau went to join in the fray. 

Krimson nearly cut the desk in half as Grau blocked a sudden thrust with the flat of his blade. Ruby and Weiss went to make sure her father was all right, from the door that Grau broke down, several robots were coming in to interfere with fight. "I got them, you get her" Krimson said as he darted across the room, Ruby went to join him as Weiss helped her father to his feet. 

Her father reached onto the bookshelf and pulled a book, the shelf slid into the ground and revealed his safe room. He ran inside and Weiss followed her father and saw that his safe room had several large screens and stacks of Lien in neat little bundles ready to be put into a case should the need arise. "Weiss, get in here!" She looked between her father and Grau who was fighting Neo. "Weiss, get in here this instant" She just looked back at her father and shook her head. Turning her back to him, she walked back out to the study, just as she left the door, thick steel door slammed behind her as soon as she was clear. 

He was trailing behind her, his heavy strikes missing her as she gracefully dodged out of the way. She jumped over him and slashed at his back, but the armour stopped the blade but the cape he wore over his shoulders got cut off, letting it crumple the floor. On his back, his symbol printed in a deep black. It was so strange seeing someone else who had it, the Schnee dust company logo, same as hers, except there was a large slash going from top right to bottom left, the two halves were shifted so they didn't line up. 

He tilted his neck and it made a loud popping noise as he jerked his sword and it split in half, handle and all. The two handles connected at the bottom to create a double bladed staff. Spinning the dusts he had in his gauntlet, his armour began to glow a dark blue. His speed suddenly increased and Neo was having trouble compensating for the sudden change in his technique, first with his weapon changing, second was his speed. 

Backing up to the window, she looked at the door and saw that her reinforcements were destroyed, she was now outnumbered four to one. Gripping the flip lighter tightly, she have a smirk and a wink as Grau slashed her, only for her image to shatter like the window she was standing in front of, broken glass fell all around him as he blocked his face from getting cut up. With her gone, Grau snapped his staff back into a great sword and put it on his back. "Where is he?" Grau asked. Weiss knew what he was talking about, she just pointed at the steel door and he began to walk towards it. 

He placed his hand on the smooth metal surface and a red glyph appeared around his wrist and the metal began to melt under it in a storm of sparks and flames. When it was weak enough, he slammed his foot against it and it broke under its weight. Walking right in, Weiss followed him in and watched as her father straighten his suit and looked Grau straight in his eyes. with his armour, he towered over the man who raised her. She had never seen anyone stand up to him like this. "If I didn't need you alive to keep Atlas stable, I'd kill you right here" Grau said as he narrowed his eyes. Her father simply stared him down but Grau didn't flinch. Reaching over, he grabbed three stacks of the Lien bundles and examined them. Turning around, he tossed one of them to Krimson and kept the other two in his hand. "This ought to get us past a few guards" Grau said simply and Krimson nodded. 

Turning to leave with Krimson, Grau and Ruby, her father called out to her, for her to stay. Frozen, she was about to turn back and walk back to him when Ruby reached out and gripped her hand. With a smile, Ruby gave Weiss's hand a squeeze and she took a deep breath. Gathering her nerves, she walked out with the rest of them, ignoring her father call out to her louder the further away she walked, past broken robots and bullet holes in the walls. She felt a great weight leave her shoulders as she left her father behind, leaving him inside his cold, dead castle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and any feed back is always welcome.


	12. Pilgrimage

Noon went by without any excitement, walking around the kitchen, opening every stainless steel box in the room and found enough to make a couple of sandwiches for others and himself, Ren did make good pancakes, it was the least he could do, he just hoped no one saw him make them. Setting the plate stacked with sandwiches on a table in the kitchen for everyone to grab when they want them. 

With a chunk of sandwich in his mouth, he was about to leave when Taiyang walked in. "Oh, hey Noir" Noir simply waved lightly, unable to talk with a full mouth. Taiyang approached the plate of food and picked one up. "You make these?" 

"No..." Noir's voice muffled with food.

Noir noticed that Taiyang was looking much better now. His Aura had been recovering which sped up his healing, he looked less like a punching bag and more like a human being again. The cuts had sealed up and the swelling all the way down. Dark bruises remained but those will probably be gone before tomorrow.

Taiyang just raised his eyebrow and shrugged, grabbing a plate, he put two on it. "I was going to make something for Yang, but I guess these will do" He said as he opened the fridge and gave a heavy sigh. "Not a lot here..." 

"Yeah, we should head into the city and resupply, I don't think Krimson was expecting this many guests" Noir said after he finally finished the bite he had taken. "There should be duffel bags somewhere, those'll hold a lot of food so we can carry them back" Tai nodded simply then spoke up. "We need money for that, and I left the house without much other than the shirt on my back" 

Noir nodded as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Looking though the lien cards and counted it silently before setting it on the table. "That should cover it for now" Taiyang walked over and his eyes widen at how much was sitting inside of it. 

"How do you have that much just sitting around?" He asked as he set it down and shook his head in disbelief.

"Krimson's little secret club pays well" Noir said simply with a shrug. 

"Secret club?" 

Noir nodded. "Yeah, some bunch of people called the Brotherhood, we're part of some kind of counter mesure section I suppose..." Noir said as he waved his hand around as he explained the situation poorly. "Then there's the inner circle, not sure which arseholes run that part but they must be pretty high up in order to afford the amount they pay us to keep silent about what we do"

"And, what exactly do you guys do?" 

"Keep Remnant safe from all the bad things that normal people don't know about" Noir said simply as he folded his arms over his chest. "Trust me, the shit I've seen, I wish fairy tales were still just tales" 

Taiyang nodded slowly as he took a breath.

"So what the brotherhood want with us?" 

Looking over at who just spoke. Jaune stood by the door, his arms at his sides and looking between the two of them. "What can we offer them and this inner circle?" Jaune asked as he folded his arms slowly. 

"You? not sure, its Krimson that wanted Lil'red and her team" 

"What does Krimson want with Ruby?" Taiyang asked, understandably protective about his youngest daughter.

"Again, I'm not too sure, but I think it has something to do with the fact that she's got silver eyes" 

"Ruby's silver eyes?" Jaune piped up. 

"Yeah, I don't really know the details, I don't really pay that much attention when he talks, all I really know is that I need shoot the things he needs dead" Noir said with a simple nod as he looked at the two of them. "Now, I would love nothing more than to continue explaining things that _I_ don't really understand, but I think we need to look into more pressing matters" Noir then pointed at the fridges. "Like what we're going to eat tomorrow"

Taiyang nodded as he looked around the kitchen. "Is there a faster way of getting into the city than just trekking though the snow?" 

"I think I found a garage with a few snow vehicles in it when I was looking around. That'll probably work, right?" Jaune mentioned as he grabbed one of the sandwiches for himself. "Lets go check it out then" Noir said as he lead the way, Taiyang following behind him and Jaune following up behind them.

Throwing the plastic coverings off everything in the garage revealing two large cars, two snow vehicles as well as some boats. "Hey guys, why does a lodge need boats if there's no water around..." Jaune asked as he examined the boats. 

"No idea Kid, good find though" Noir said as he opened up a crate and began to pull battery packs filled with dust. Plugging one in, he kick started one of them and it roared to life. "Listen to that baby purr" Noir said loudly with a grin as he pulled another into the second one and tested it out to make sure it worked. "Right, we've got two of them so we can double up, making a team of four..." Noir said simply as he folded his arms. "Who's coming?" 

"I will" Taiyang said as he held up his hand. 

"I'd like to go, if that's alright" Jaune asked as he lifted his hand as well. 

Noir nodded and looked around. "Who else you thinking?" 

"Well, Ren can take care of himself, Nora would be good to bring along, she can carry a lot" Noir nodded as he began to leave to grab the duffel bags for their trip. "Alright, go grab her and meet us back here" Jaune nodded ad began to walk down the halls to gather up Nora. 

With everyone ready, positions were filled. Noir drove with Taiyang behind him and Nora drove with Jaune behind her. What would have took an entire day's worth of walking, only took two hours in order to get into the city, even faster since Nora decided that it was taking too slow and began to go off snow dunes for jumps, causing Jaune scream out every time. Parking the vehicles, the four of them walked into a supermarket and began to gather supplies for their new home for the time being.

When they were paying, Noir noticed that Taiyang had grabbed several boxes of cookies, raising an eyebrow, he shrugged simply as he paid for all the food. The next twenty minutes was spent trying to cram it all into the bags they brought. Noir took this time to go and purchase some cigarettes for himself. With everything ready, they loaded all the food and supplies onto the vehicles and made their way back to the lodge. 

As they drove though the snow, Noir caught a subtle smell of something in the air. Suddenly stopping, Nora noticed and turned around and looked at him. "What is it?" Jaune asked behind her, holding onto the handles on the side. She took it a bit easier on the way back, but Jaune still looked pretty stressed out from the trip back. 

Noir inhaled slowly as he looked around carefully, everyone looking at him with a strange look on their faces. "There's blood on the wind, smoke...Grimm" Noir turned his head and knew where they were going. "People are hurt nearby, we need to go now" Noir then sped though the trees towards the large field next to the lodge. When they came out of the tree line, in the distance Noir could see a group of people running away from a large amount of Grimm. From what he can see, Beowolves and Ursai were chasing down three people as they ran across the field. 

Opening up on the throttle, Noir and Nora sped though the snow and got to the group just as two of them were overrun by the Grimm. Noir jumped off and opened fire with his pistols, Taiyang jumped off and bladed gauntlets slid over his wrists and sprinted right into the group while Jaune pulled his sword and shield out and Nora used her hammer to leap into the fray. 

With the last survivor behind them, the team of hunters and hunters-in-training made quick work at shifting the aggro of the Grimm there. No alphas among the beowolves or ursa majors, meaning less armour to try and get though, and an easier fight overall. Noir and Nora defeated the majority of the Grimm as Nora sent them into the air and Noir filled them full of holes, Taiyang and Jaune quickly fell in step as they watched eachother's back and opened their fare share of the black creatures.

With them all defeated, the air was quickly filled with black smoke. Noir wrinkled his nose at the oily scent, he never could figure out what exactly what it smelled like, but it never failed to make him nauseas. Holstering his weapons, he walked up to Taiyang who had came to the two who were overrun by the Grim. Looking up at Noir, he silently shook his head and ran his hand over their faces, closing their lifeless eyes. 

Noir sighed and nodded gently as he made his way to where Nora and Jaune were helping the last member of that team to their feet. The person pulled the hood of their cloak back and revealed a woman with light, cerulean blue hair. Her eyes were light pink with a few specks of dark red around it, she were looking wildly at the tree line they ran from. "Sorry we couldn't save your friends" Noir said simply as she began to back away from them. 

"Thats not what we were running from" She said quickly as she continued to back up. Noir looked at her with a confused look as Jaune and Nora looked at each other just as confused. Suddenly, the oily scent of a Grimm filled his nose, the scent was so oppressing it made him gag. Then the ground around them began to shook, violently. The trees began to bend as a massive creature began to approach them. 

From trees, a spinning white and black mass barrelled towards them, reaching the field, it uncurled and skidded to a halt. It was nearly two meters tall on all four legs, its back had large, bone white plates overlapping from head to tale. Three, glowing yellow eyes on each side of its head. Its paws had massive claws on each finger, a large, thick tail and a mouth full of teeth. It let out a massive roar as it eyed the people up. "TOMB DIGGER!" Noir shouted as they all spread apart and readied their weapons. 

Tomb Diggers were one of the most dangerous Grimm in Mistral, tunnelling though the ground without much warning. They can take out entire teams of hunters if they are not prepared to fight one. This one was rather large, probably an elder Tomb Digger. One thing was tickling in the back of Noir's mind, why did it come rolling out from the trees and not under them. He pushed it aside and looked at Nora. "Get back to the lodge and get everyone you can here now!" Noir shouted as he fired his pistols at the Grimm with little effect. 

With a nod, Nora and Jaune jumped onto the snow vehicles and drove full speed to the lodge on the other side of the field, leaving the three of them to fight against the Tomb Digger. It screamed out again as it tracked the who vehicles and Noir shot at it a few more times to get its attention. Looking back at Noir, it roared at him and began to charge towards him and Taiyang. 

Firing shots into the unarmoured areas of its arms and underbelly, it moved to one side from the pain and began to circle the three of them. Noir taking shots at it whenever he can to keep its attention directed at them. "What's the plan?" Taiyang asked as he kept his guard up as Noir continued to fire, the woman between the two of them. 

"Not sure, haven't fought a Tomb Digger this big before" Noir said as he held his guns out. "But we need to kill it before we return to the lodge or its not going to be there for much longer" Taiyang nodded as his hands flexed inside of the bladed gauntlets. Seeing an opening, Taiyang charged at it, slid under its legs and jabbed its bladed fist up into its soft stomach. It let out a cry of pain as Taiyang jumped back at Noir who kept it back by shooting at it. 

From behind the Grimm, Noir can hear the sound of the snow vehicles and saw Nora and Jaune driving Blake and Taang towards them. "Calvary is here!" Noir called out as they came towards them.

On the snow vehicle, Jaune looked over his shoulder and called out to Blake. "Change places!" He called out over the sound of the engines. With a nod, Blake and Jaune changed places, Blake was now driving as Jaune was standing on the back seat. "Nora! Get me over there!" With a nod, she traded places with Taang and her hammer came out. "Batter up!" She called out. 

Blake moved closer to Taang's vehicle and Jaune pulled his sword out and his shield snapped open. Leaping towards Nora, he moved his shield under his feet and Nora swung up and connected with her hammer, sending Jaune flying though the air with a laugh while Jaune screamed through the air. 

Landing on top of the creature, Jaune quickly found his balance and drove his sword between the plates on its neck. It cried out and began to shake its head and back, throwing Jaune to the ground. The Tomb Digger was about to stomp on the fallen Jaune, but a sudden chain swung around its arm and pulled it just beside the fallen boy.

Taang and Blake came forward and added in to the fire-power. "we need to flip him over, expose it's unarmoured side!" Noir shouted and Taang ran right up to the Tomb Digger and his body began to glow. He was going to use the extra mass to flip it over onto its back. 

_Crack._

Noir's heart skipped a beat as the loud crack echoed though the area. Noir's eyes widen from an epiphany. The reason why the Tomb Digger didn't come up from under them was because it couldn't. Looking down, Noir began to kick the snow around him to expose what he already knew. "Jaune, I know why they have boats" Noir said as Jaune got to his feet. Looking down, he saw an endless black separated by a thick sheet of frosted ice. 

Jaune's eyes widen as he clued in as well. "Because this isn't a field, its a lake..." He said, finishing Noir's thought. Both of them looked up at the sound of series of cracks coming from Taang as his body began to glow more and more, adding more weight to his body. 

"TAANG! STOP!" Noir shouted as the ground began to cave under the mass. Running towards him, a sudden collapse of the ground, Taang looked back and threw his chain out. Noir ran as fast as he could as his partner began to fall into the black depth. Noir grabbed the chain as was immediately dragged off his feet and fell towards the hole. 

"NOIR!" Blake screamed out as she sent out her weapon, holding onto the ribbon with one hand. Noir grabbed the weapon with his other hand as he reached the hole. A sudden stop as the combined efforts of Blake, Taiyang, Jaune and Nora began to pull him up. Noir's body was dunked under the cold water and began to be pulled back to the surface shortly after. Feeling his shoulders about to be popped from his sockets, Noir held onto the chain with all of his strength. Getting ontop of the ice, he began to pull Taang back with the others help. 

Once the large bald man made it to the surface, Noir collapsed, all strength drained from him as he laid on his back, breathing heavily. The clothing already starting to freeze from the cold. "Damn it, mate. You need to loose some bloody weight!" Noir called out to Taang who began to walk towards them. Taang looked at him and nodded. "I'm sorry my friend" Taang said as he extended his hand and Noir took it and was ungracefully brought to his feet. 

"Thank you" The young woman said as she walked up to them. Noir just waved his hand and caught his breath. "Don't worry about it, sorry your friends won't have a proper burial" Noir said as he looked over at the hole in the middle of the lake where the Tomb Digger and the bodies of her friends sank. She shook her head lightly. "I'm sure they would be happy with a burial at sea than being left until the ground thawed out" 

"Lets all get to the Lodge before we make proper introductions" Taiyang said as everyone nodded and after a couple of trips back and forth for everyone to get back home. Drying up, Noir and Taiyang sat down with the woman with a couple of glasses and a bottle of whiskey. 

"Thank you for saving me, my name is Amaranth. We were on our way to the city, coming back from an assignment. We were caught off guard when that Tomb Digger came from nowhere" 

"Well, tomorrow we can bring you into the city, rest here and have a good meal" Taiyang said with a nod. 

"Thank you, I really appreciate that" She said with a sad smile as she sipped her drink. Noir watched as she took a sip, then a gulp of the alcoholic drink. Yet another huntress who made her friends into her family, left alone in a cold, harsh world. Noir sipped his glass and noticed Blake watching them, then disappeared down the hall. _Hurry up Kitty Cat, save your friend before she becomes another victim,_ Noir thought as he watched the woman break down, her glass empty and sobbing gently. Taiyang moved to comfort her, and Noir stood up and went for a walk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading, I know this chapter is a little long so I hope it didn't get dragged along too much for that. Any feedback is always welcome. I will be going back to work, everything I wrote so far was while I was on vacation, so with work starting up again, I won't be putting out as many chapters quiet so fast. I'm sorry for that too. 
> 
> Always, thank you for reading my story.


	13. Inside and Outside

Leaving the Schnee family manor, they began to run down the streets and alleyways to avoid all the Atlas law enforcement officers that were speeding down the streets towards the manor in response to everything that happened there. With Ruby by her side, Weiss was glad she held her hand, her touch alone gave her the courage to say no to her father. Not actually saying anything, but she just left, which felt good. Ducking into an alleyway to avoid another patrol car, they stopped there for a few moments to catch their breaths. 

"I'm glad you came to get me" Weiss said with a small smile as she looked at Ruby. The silver-eyed girl smiled back at her with a nod. 

"Of course, you're my teammate and my partner, how could I have not come to help you" She said with a smile. Hearing that, Weiss's heart soared as she stared into Ruby's eyes. 

"Um...can I have my hand back please?" Ruby asked as a light blush came over her face. Weiss looked down and saw that she was still holding her hand, which meant that she held her hand all they way out of the manor and all the way here. Feeling her face heat up, she quickly released her hand and cleared her throat. "S-sorry" Weiss stammered out as she looked up and saw Krimson and Grau looking at them with raised eyebrows. 

"What!" Weiss stamped her foot as she looked at them, her face turning a deeper shade of red when she realized that they watched the whole scene unfold. 

"Nothing" Krimson said as he pulled the collar of his cloak over his mouth to hide his smirk as Grau turned and lead the way, face remaining impassive about the scene. "We need to continue moving. I'm sure he's contacted the council about the whole ordeal and the docks might get locked down before we get the chance to leave" Weiss was thinking that Grau was right a lot ever since she met him, and the horrible fact that he was her half brother. Judging by how old he looked, he must be just a little bit older than Winter.

Looking at Krimson, he didn't look that much older then herself, putting him around five or six years older than herself. "So, how did you meet these guys?" Weiss asked Ruby. She looked down, ashamed as she ground her boot into the ground and hid her hands behind her back made her down right adorable.she spoke in a quite voice, the kind of voice a child would speak to a parent when they know they've done something bad. 

"Krimson saved us after we fought Cinder in Mistral"

Weiss stared at her for a few moments, her mouth slowly dropping as her eye twitched, trying to process what she just heard. Whatever pretence of cuteness Ruby had going for her was thrown out the window. _"WHAT!"_

"Why does everyone react that way...." Ruby cried as Krimson and Grau looked back at the two of them as Weiss screamed out. 

"Hey, we're trying to hide from the authorities, not advertise" Krimson harshly whispered at them. Weiss ignored him and continued to scold her partner. 

"What were you thinking Ruby Rose?" Weiss yelled at her, Ruby just lowered her head more, trying to make herself as small as possible. "Not only did you go off on your own, but you also fought Cinder?" 

"Yes, I'm sorry Weiss but I had too" Ruby said looking up at her. Looking into her eyes, Weiss sighed and shook her head. "We'll talk about this later" Ruby nodded and caught up to the other two who looked annoyed at the little outburst Weiss just had. 

Making their way to the docks, they quickly walked past the Atlas soldiers who were standing guard, trying not to get their attention, even though Weiss caught some of their eyes, they ignored them and continued their duty. When they arrived at Krimson's airship, she noticed that the side had a very bad paint job, covering up something that there before. Looking around, she noticed that there were no workers around, even though it was so late at night, dust orders still needed to be delivered.

When the ramp began to lower, Weiss wondered where they had gotten such an old model that still actually flew. When the ramp finished, her breath got caught in her throat as a man in a crisp white officer uniform and a dark red tie. His hands behind his back and a small metal strip on the right side of his forehead. He had more grey hair along the sides of his head than Weiss remembered. 

"General Ironwood" Krimson said as he looked around. "I was beginning to think it was too quiet around here..." 

"Well, when one receives a, _very_ , strongly worded message from Mr. Schnee, one usually listens to it" The General said as he pulled out his personal scroll and opened it up. "Apparently, a group of people broke into the manor, threatened him, stole his property and kidnapped his daughter" 

General Ironwood looked over at Weiss and raised his eyebrow. "I don't suppose you know anything about that..." He said as he put his scroll away and adjusted his cuffs. 

Krimson shrugged as he pulled the collar off his mouth and looked back at the highest ranking officer in Atlas. "Nope, not a thing..." He said as he looked around. "Where's our driver?" 

A blue haired man popped his head out from cockpit and waved nervously at them. "Right here...getting pulled deeper and deeper into a bizarre pile of shit..." He mumbled a little too loudly to himself. 

"Hey Bleu" Krimson said with a wave as he directed his attention back to Ironwood. "Is this a social call? or are you actually going to stop us" Krimson asked getting impatient. "Neither" The General said as he stepped out of the airship and stood next to Krimson. "Perhaps we can have a more private discussion..." He said as he leaned in lightly. 

"This is my hand picked team" Krimson gestured to Grau, who was standing in front of Ruby and Weiss. "This is the hand I dealt myself" Krimson said as he folded his arms. 

"Team KNGT is your trump card?" Ironwood asked as he gestured to waiting soldiers, they nodded and suddenly the whole dock resumed their duties, some of the workers began to carry crates of something onto the airship. They bore the Atlas military symbol on them as worker after worker brought them on. 

"No, KNGT is my hand, team RWBY is the ace up my sleeve..."

"How much do they know?" Ironwood asked as he kept a careful eye on Ruby and Weiss.

"Not everything, but they're inside the loop on who we are" Krimson said quietly as he raised his eyebrow as he watched the crates being loaded up. "What's all this?" He asked. 

"Supplies, the rest of The Brotherhood sends their regards"

The Brotherhood? Weiss narrowed her eyes at the General as he casually talked to Krimson, the gesture of Krimson stating that Ruby and herself were part of some hand picked team seemed to give them the General's trust. The few times she had seen him when he would visit her father when she was younger. Krimson just shrugged at Ironwood, being just as casual to Ironwood. 

"The Brotherhood?" He scoffed. "What the hell is the rest of them doing while this is happening?" Krimson asked, his voice quieting down, obviously agitated when the topic changed to the Brotherhood. 

"If it wasn't for the Inner Circle's pussy footing around the issue, we could have stopped her before everything happened, before Vale fell" Weiss was paying attention to what they were saying, from the corner of her eye, she saw that Ruby was listening intently as well. 

Ironwood sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Witch Hunters aren't exactly known for their subtlety" 

So many terms were filling her head. Brotherhood, Inner Circle, Witch Hunters. She didn't quite know what to make of it as Krimson continued to get more frustrated at the General. "Subtlety? Oh please! Tell me about how subtle you are when you marched your army into Vale, only for them to be reprogrammed and went on a killing spree on innocent people" Krimson's voice dropped but still somehow remained just as sharp. "By the way, you might want to look into that again, some woman at the manor reprogrammed the bots over at the manor" 

Ironwood sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose again. "Do you have any leads?" He asked, quick to change the subject away from his own failings with Atlas tech.

"Somewhere in Mistral, caught up to her there where we fought" Krimson said as he folded his arms and watched the workers load up their airship. "It's strange though, something is wrong with her" Ironwood looked over at him and raised his eyebrow. 

"What do you mean?" 

"She should have killed all of us when we found her in Mistral. Instead, she used as little aura as she could get away with and only used the Maiden powers to escape. It's just not right..." Krimson just shook his head as he unfolded his arms. "I'll keep the Inner Circle informed the best I can" Ironwood simply nodded as a man in a doctor's coat looking over a large scroll in his hand walked up to them. Behind him, two workers were wheeling a very large crate onto the airship. 

"What's this now?" Krimson asked as he watched the large crate get wheeled on. 

"This is Doctor Blanc, he's an expert in prosthetics" The Doctor nodded, dispite looking a little younger than General Ironwood, he had a stark white beard and a bald head. The man just nodded with the introduction. "It has come to my attention some of your forces have been badly hurt during the assault on Vale" Weiss's mind went to Yang who had lost her arm. 

"It is in the Brotherhood's best interest if all of your people are at their best" Krimson nodded lightly and then looked at Ironwood. "And officially?"

"Officially, the doctor and his work were taken while on its way to a hospital in Mistral" Krimson nodded as the Doctor looked at him. 

"Yes, oh it is _dreadful_...."The Doctor's voice was dead-pan and didn't match the mood for what he was saying. "Please, please don't hurt me, I'll tell you anything just please let me go- Hey! Be careful with that!" The Doctor then went on board the ship to yell at the worker who dropped the crate less than gently. 

"We'll just blame it on Noir..." Krimson suggested and Ironwood just nodded as he reached inside of his coat and pulled out a small envelope and handed it to Krimson. "This will help you get back easier" Krimson pocketed it and took a breath. 

"Right, be seeing you General" Krimson said as he mocked a salute and walked onto the airship, Grau, who was silent during the whole exchange walked up after him, Ruby and Weiss followed. Sitting next to Ruby, Krimson and Grau sat across from them. Grau folded his arms and lowered his head and Krimson watched the Doctor as he looked at all the things they were carrying back. In a few minute, they were flying away from Atlas.

An hour passed in silence as they were flying though the air. Looking over at her partner, Ruby's eyes were closed as her head hung in her chest. Seeing her now, she looked so tired. Deciding it would be best to let her sleep, she looked across the way and saw Krimson watching her. "I'm sure you have no end of questions" Krimson said from across the way. Weiss nodded slowly as she sat up a bit and looked closely at him. 

Krimson then took the next half hour of the trip explaining everything he could. From who the Brotherhood was and what they did, who he was within the Brotherhood and the team he had back at the Lodge. Blake and Yang were there as well as the remains of team JNPR and Ruby's father. Weiss took it all in and took a deep breath. "I don't know what to say..." Weiss finally said after long moment of silence. She was about to say something else when Ruby's head fell onto her shoulder, sitting back, she made sure Ruby was comfortable before looking back at Krimson. 

"Yeah, most people are like that" Krimson nodded as he looked over at the Doctor who checked over the contents of his crate for the uptenth time. "Best get some sleep, it's a long trip back" Krimson said as he folded his arms and pulled his collar up over his nose. Weiss nodded slightly and gently leaned against Ruby, resting her head ontop of hers, she closed her eyes and drifted away, inhaling her aroma.

A sudden shake of the airship brought Weiss back to consciousness, looking around quickly, it was still dark outside the window and Ruby was still asleep next to her. Krimson looked to be asleep. His head down and his arms folded over his chest. Grau was kneeling in front of a crate and looking over its contents. The Doctor was no where to be seen from where she was sitting. 

Suddenly, he looked over at her, their matching eyes locking for a moment before he got up and closed the crate. "we're still about a few hours out, you can still sleep if you want" Weiss nodded lightly before speaking quietly enough for Ruby to keep sleeping. "So, you're my brother?" Weiss asked. Grau looked at her and nodded, walking slowly towards her. 

"Yes, I was born just before Winter, of course I was hidden from the main family, only a handful of people knew who I truly was" Grau said as she looked down at her, his armour making it difficult to looked directly down at her. He ended up kneeling to make it eaiser, but he was still nearly two feet taller. "I thought I was earning his love when I created this armour and began doing questionable things for that man" 

Weiss's heart felt heavy, already knowing the answer but asked anyway. "What kind of questionable things..." She asked as her eyes looked at the scar that ran down the left side of his face. 

He was silent for a few seconds as he tried to decide what to say to her. "I sought out and killed certain business partners to ensure that the Schnee Dust Company had very little opposition when it came to deals" Weiss's heart stopped when she heard it from him. He continued as he stood back up and began to walk back to his seat. 

"I left after one particular assignment, one too many lies from that man. He said my mother was dead when he took me in, but the truth was far from it, I was abandoned by her. Where she discarded a sick child, he picked up another tool to be used. I was suppose to burn down a building that the homeless were using as a home. It was only after I killed everyone did I see that her life was ended by my own hands" He looked down at his armoured hands, remembering what he had done. He then sat down and looked across from her. 

"Best to get some rest, you'll be meeting the rest of your team when we arrive" Weiss nodded lightly. Feeling numb from what he had said, she knew her father was a bad man, but she never imagined that he was that horrible, that cold. Settling down next to Ruby, she leaned against her and gently closed her eyes again, enjoying how warm she was compared to the hull at her back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be trying to put up a new chapter every two or three days since I'm working again. All feed back is welcome and feedback is always welcome.


	14. Looking down the rabbit Hole

Night had fallen over the lodge, and Blake was looking everywhere for Yang. She had spent most of the day putting food away with Ren and Jaune after the events that happened earlier. She remembered the look of in their eyes when Jaune and Nora barged into the front door, screaming for anyone to help Noir and Taiyang with them. Blake and Yang were talking with each when they showed up, and when Blake went to go with them, whatever happiness was in her eyes was quickly replaced by pain and betrayal. Blake remembered as she looked back at the lodge and saw Yang staring at them through a window as they sped across the field, which, as it turns out, was a frozen lake. 

When Blake saw the giant Grimm, it was one that she'd never seen before or brought up in Mr. Port's class. It looked like some kind of cross between a badger and a mole. Large, pointed bone white plates on the back and massive claws. Noir called it an Tomb Digger. He explained that they dig though the ground with their massive claws and can pop up anywhere, that fact in itself was frightening all together, worse that it was an elder, an older Grimm that knows how to hunt other Hunters. 

Walking down the halls, she checked all the bedrooms she came across. Finding out where Jaune, Nora and Ren were staying, each taking a separate room. A far cry from their team rooms back at Beacon. Ren and Nora were playing some sort of card game on a bed in Ren's room while Jaune was just staring out the window, stretching his shoulder from where Cinder had shot him. 

Blake and Yang learned about their adventures after the first night at the lodge. Ruby had told them about their trip and about their fight with Cinder in the warehouse. With each passing detail, Taiyang became more and more worried about her, kicking himself for ever letting her go off on her own. The same could be said for Yang and Blake, letting their teammate, their _leader_ , go off on her own. 

Eventually, she caught a glimpse of the blonde sitting at one of the bar stools in the banquet hall. Entering the room, she found that it was much larger than she thought before. She could just imagine how this room looked when it was filled with the rich and beautiful, a pianist playing a gentle tune, a woman singing a siren song over the crowd. So many scenes like this in the books she has read over the years. 

Walking up to Yang, she stood behind her and looked around gently. "Why are you in this place?" Blake asked as she waited for Yang to turn around. 

The blonde didn't look at her. Instead, she pulled a bottle of whisky off bar and held it out in plain view.

"Wondering how my uncle drinks this stuff all the time" 

"Yang, are you, drinking?" Blake asked, concerned as she walked up to the bar and looked over in front of her. She had a glass that was half full of the amber liquid. 

"Not really" Yang said with a shrug. "I've had maybe two sips...this stuff really burns your throat" She said as he picked up the glass and examined it, tilting and turning it slightly.

"We don't drink it because it tastes good!" Looking back, Blake saw Noir leaning back in a chair, his feet on the table. "Some of us drink to forget..." He was picking at his teeth with his fingernails. He must have been sitting there while Yang was trying to get drunk, probably going to try and get a laugh out of it. A shadow of hate filled her mind, just this morning he had warned her about Yang divulging into alcoholism, and here he was, not batting an eye as she began her journey down a bottle. 

Ignoring him, Blake looked back at Yang as her lilac eyes continued to study the drink in her hand. "I guess I'm trying to forget how useless I am..." Yang sighed as she took another sip from the glass. She gritted her teeth and sucked in air as it went down her throat. She coughed a bit as she set the glass down, obviously still not used to doing things left handed yet. 

A snort came from Noir. "Told you to choose something lighter" He said with a wolfish smirk on his face.

Ignoring him again, Blake looked back at Yang and placed a hand on the bar. "Yang, you can't do this. This won't help Ruby!" 

"And what will help her Blake?" She asked, her eyes flaring a dangerous shade of red as she grit her teeth. "I'm tired of doing this, tired of being useless" Her eyes faded back and she took a heavy sigh before Yang took another sip of the drink and sucked another breath. "Maybe I'll just stay here while she saves the world..." 

"I'll cheers to that!" Noir shouted from the back. Snapping back at him with a death glare. 

"You are not helping!" She shouted at him, he just shrugged it off and went back to picking at his teeth. Looking back at Yang, she saw the look of defeat in her eyes, staring into the glass. Blake sighed and gently placed a hand on her right shoulder. Yang just looked back at her, her eyes lingering over her missing arm and slowly looking up at Blake. "I don't know what else I can do..." She said softly. 

Slowly, Blake moved her hand across her back and hugged her tightly. Slowly, Yang's arm moved across the bar and hugged her back the rest she can with one arm. Holding Yang in her arms, gently rubbed her back, hoping to comfort her the best she could. 

The moment was ruined with gagging noises coming from Noir's table. Detaching from her partner, the two of them looked over at the wolf faunus as he was making faces and continuing with the disturbing noises. When it was apparent that the noises were not getting a reaction from them, he then shouted at them from his table. "Just make out all ready!" He then leaned further back and folded his arms. 

Heat rose to Blake's face when he screamed that at them, looking over at Yang, it was hard to imagine that she was just as embarrassed. "And what about you?" Yang yelled back at him. Seeing the old Yang back brought a small smile to Blake's face. "You have a girlfriend?" 

A sudden look of washed over his face, as if remembering something horrible that had happened long ago. "Lets not talk about that...." He said quietly as he then reached up and gently cradled his jaw, shifting it back and forth, as if it was sore. 

"Why not?" A deep voice echoed though the room. Looking over at the doorway, Taang walked in with his arms folded over his massive chest. "What was her name again?" He asked with a small smirk behind his beard as he looked over at Noir. 

"I'd rather we change the subject..." It was funny seeing him on the receiving end of being ragged on. 

"It started with an M...." 

"I.... have no idea what you're talking about"

"Magnolia" 

"I will _fucking_ murder your face" Noir said as he pointed at Taang threateningly.

Blake and Yang laughed a bit and attention was brought back to them. "You two should get some rest" Taang said as he walked up to them, looked at the bottle of whiskey and shook his head lightly. "Krimson will be back soon, and with his missions, we never know when we get sleep" Taang then walked behind the bar and put the bottle away where Yang had taken it. 

"Yeah, its almost morning. Kitty Cat and Blondie should get their beauty rest" Noir said as he looked at his scroll and raised his eyebrows surprisingly. 

"Don't call us that" Yang growled at him. Blake knew that dangerous sound in her voice.

"Make me" Noir said simply as he looked over at them.

"Shouldn't you to be kissing or holding hands or something in some dark corner of the very large lodge?" Noir walked up to them and folded his arms, trying to look threatening but failing since he was just barely taller than Blake. 

"We all decided that we were going to wait up for Ruby and Weiss" Blake said as Noir reached between them and grabbed the glass and took a sniff of it. 

"Good luck with that, Atlas is a stronghold, costs me a pretty lien just to get into there, and with everything that's happening, they've probably beefed up security" Noir said as he stared into the glass then pounded back whatever remained and didn't even bat an eye. He set the glass on the bar and looked at the two of them. 

He then quickly looked at the direction of where the front door was, Blake heard it too. The sound of Airship engines coming from the north. "Or, they could be returning only after a day." Blake could see worry cross his face quickly. Slowly, he put his hand on his pistol on his side cautiously. 

"Isn't that a good thing?" Yang asked as she got out of her seat, her knees suddenly buckled and she slapped her hand on the bar to regain her balance. Noir just scoffed and grinned at her. "Lightwight" He said as he began to walk towards the main lobby where they'll be coming in from. "Missions don't usually go just one day, that means they've off without a hitch, which would be nice...or that something very terribly wrong has happened..." 

The sound of the airship filled the whole lodge as it began to land. Blake followed Noir and Taang into the lobby, staying close to Yang. Other than that misstep at the bar, she was walking just fine now. Blake could smell a light linger of alcohol on her , though it wasn't that bad. Jaune, Nora and Ren came running down the stairs that led to the second floor. Taiyang came from an adjoining hallway, his hair was a mess and his clothing were wrinkled badly. He looked like he had just woken up.

There was no sign of the woman that Noir and Taiyang brought with them from the battle earlier. She didn't really know much about her, Taiyang told her who she was and briefly about what happened, Blake wasn't surprised when she didn't make an appearance. 

The door opened and Krimson was the first to walk in. He had his collar up to his nose in as pushed the door open. Behind him, the towering man wearing a suit of armour, Grau walked in nodded to Noir and Taang, who simply nodded back at him. Next to enter was Ruby, looking better than she had been yesterday. 

Behind her, the unmistakeable, snow white pony tail jutting off to the side of her head. Her light blue eyes and pale complexion. A smile pulled at Blake's face as she saw Weiss Schnee entered the Lodge. Rushing past Noir and Taang, Blake and Yang attacked the small girl with hugs. Blake got to her first, pulling her close and held her close. "I'm so glad you're here" Blake said with a smile. The heiress hugged her back. 

Yang had the next go, but instead of her usual ursa strength bear hugs, it was a gentle hug with one arm. When Weiss saw the bandage wrapped stump, her eyes widen as she slowly hugged the blonde back gently, as if Yang might break if she hugged too hard. "Its good to see you" Yang said smiling at her. Weiss smiled back and nodded. "I'm glad to see you two again as well" 

_"WEISS!"_

Nora Valkyrie boomed out as she jumped down nearly the entirety of the stairs and slammed into the poor girl. She held her tightly and lifted her up in the air, nearly strangling her with a mighty hug. 

"Cant. Breathe. Nora." Weiss wheezed out as Jaune and Ren went to her side. Ren gently patted the woman's shoulder and she put Weiss down. She let out a light laugh as she grinned widely. "Sorry" Nora said as Ren smiled at her. Ren and Jaune shared a more gentle hug with Weiss. Blake could see that Weiss noticed how rough Jaune looked. 

Krimson patiently waited for everyone to finish their reunion hugs before stepping forward. "These are my teammates, Noir and Taang" Taang and Noir nodded in turn. "Guys, this is Weiss Schnee" Upon hearing this, Noir made a face and a noise that sounded like a baby drowning in its own snot. 

" _Another_ Schnee...First we meet one who's got a stick so far their own arse that they can brush their teeth from inside their mouths, then we meet the one who only talks to prove that everyone else in the room is stupid!" He then pointed at Grau who was about to say something. "and I'll let you figure out which is which" 

"Noir, be nice" Krimson spoke up before an argument broke between the armoured giant and the short man with the rough accent. "I need you guys to bring in supplies that was graciously donated by nice people at Atlas" Krimson said with a smile. Noir looked him up and down suspiciously as he folded his arms. 

"And by donated?..." Noir lead on with a raised eyebrow. 

"We hijacked an Atlas military airship, took their things, kidnapped a doctor and stole prototype technology" 

Noir nodded lightly as he had a confused face. "Ah...." He then began to head to the door, Taang following with Nora, Jaune and Ren behind them. 

"We put it under your name" Krimson called out as he reached the door. 

"Wha?...You prick" The group went outside in the snow and began to start gathering the supplies. As they went to do that, Ruby went over and introduced Weiss to her father, Krimson looked over at Blake and folded his arms. "Noticed a big hole in my nice field, what happened?" Krimson asked as he pulled his collar down to expose his mouth. 

"Yeah...um, we saved someone, and there might be something under the ice called a Tomb Digger..." Blake said slowly. Krimson nodded slowly as he scratched his chin. "And who's this someone?" 

"Her name is Amaranth" Taiyang interjected after hearing what they were talking about. "We brought her back here, we're going to take her to the city later" Krimson nodded simply as he looked at Taiyang. "I'd like to meet her, get the whole story. If there's Grimm near here, we'd best clear it out" Ruby and Yang's father nodded simply as the rest of them were carrying grates in, each had the Atlas military logo on it. 

Noir, Jaune, Ren and were each carrying one, Taang hand two in his arms while Nora was trying to balance three crates in her arms and one on her head. The only thing that surprised Blake about that was how far she got before the one on her head fell off in the lobby. When it crashed to the ground, Noir looked at her and saw that she was carrying three times the amount he was. 

"Show off..." 

A new person walked in wearing a doctor's jacket and tapping on a scroll. He had a shaved head with a white beard on his chin. "Which one is Miss Xiao Long?" He asked looking around between all of them. Without anyone speaking up, he sighed heavily and rolled his eyes. "Which one is missing your arm..." 

Slowly, all eyes went to Yang, she slowly raised her hand the the doctor finally noticed. "Good, lets get started" He said as he walked up to her and eyed her up for a moment and tapped away on his scroll. "I'm here to put your new arm on" He said simply as he lowered the scroll as Nora carried in another crate and set it down gently.

"uh...what?" Yang said with a confused look on her face. 

The man rolled his eyes again and took out a piece of paper and began to read from it like he was forced to read a page of a book in school. 

"Oh no. Please don't hurt me. I'll do anything. Just don't hurt me. Fine. I'll do it. I'll perform the surgery" He then folded the paper back up and put it in his pocket. 

With an even more confused look, Weiss walked up and gently placed a hand on Yang's shoulder. "Yang, he's here to give you a new arm" 

"A new arm?"

Weiss nodded as the man walked back to Nora and proceeded to yell at her for sitting on top of his crate. "He's the best prosthetics professional Atlas has to offer" Blake watched as she processed it in her head. Slowly, her hand went over and gripped the bandages over her arm and gave it a squeeze. The lost look of confusion on her face slowly turned into fiery determination. With smile and a nod, Yang pulled Weiss in for another one armed hug and squeezed her as hard as she could. "Thank you" 

"Don't thank me, thank-" But Weiss was cut off by Krimson who simply looked eyes with her and shook his head slowly. Weiss quickly looked between him and Yang before continuing. "Thank...the Schnee Dust Company..." Weiss quickly said as Krimson gave an approving nod. "I may have pulled some strings before leaving" 

Yang grinned and hugged her again as she walked up to the doctor who was talking to her in a very annoyed tone, he was going on about some kind of medical techno babble at Nora, who was still sitting on top of the crate, looking even more confused the longer he talked to her. Tapping him on the shoulder, the doctor looked back and straightened up. "I'm ready for that arm" The doctor nodded and looked back at his scroll. "We'll start after I get set up" He said with a nod. 

Grau then guided the doctor, who pushed Nora off his crate unceremoniously and walked down to the hall. The rest of them looked at each other and smiled, things were beginning to look up. "Ruby, show Weiss to a room and everyone should get some rest" Krimosn said and everyone nodded. 

Blake walked with the rest of her team down one of the many hallways on the second floor. Ruby showed Weiss to her room, gave her a tight hug before going to her own room nearby. Blake took up the room right next to Yang's, looking at her, she smiled and put a hand on her shoulder. "I'm here for you tomorrow" Yang just smiled and nodded. "Sorry I scared out at the bar earlier" 

"Its fine, you just had a rough patch, we all go though those" Blake smiled before walked to her room and watched Yang disappear behind her door first before going into hers, her heart elevated by having everyone back at last.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Noir brought Amaranth to the dinning hall where Krimson, Grau and Taang were waiting. She had taken a small nap but still looked pretty haggard, unsurprisingly. She had her light blue cloak wrapped around her tightly, her eyes on the ground as she walked behind him. Opening the door, Krimson stood up from his seat at one of the tables as they walked towards her. Grau was standing near the door, looking like a bouncer and Taang was sitting on top of the table, his legs crossed. 

"Krimson, this is Amaranth" Noir said with a gesture, she nodded lightly and gave a soft smile. 

"Thank you for letting me stay here for a bit before returning to the city" 

Noir saw Krimson's brow furrow. He looked her up and down and seemed like he was searching for someone. He was silent for a while before he spoke. "Who are you?" 

Noir looked at him carefully. "Uh...I just said-" Krimson lifted his hand to silence him. A gesture he didn't do often, but when he did, Noir learned early on that means that something bad was about to happen. The woman looked at him, gulping down nervously as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other. 

"Who are you" Krimson asked again, a little more gentle as he stared into her eyes. Amaranth looked at all of the people in the room before clearing her throat, standing a little straighter and taking a deep breath. 

"My name is Winter. I am on a journey, and I am waiting for my sisters"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be attempting to make my chapters longer since I will be putting out less of them since I've gone back to work. I really appreciate those who have read and enjoyed my work so far, it really means a lot. All feed back is welcome and thank you for reading my story.


	15. Adjustments

"It looks weird..." Blake said as she stared at it.

"But it has a charm about it" Weiss spoke up as she stood next to her friend.

"Why is it so long?" Ruby chimed in staring at it with fascination. 

"And its all mine" Yang said with a smirk, her one hand on her hips. 

"Ruby brings up a good point, why is it so long" Weiss asked as she tilted her head. 

Yang shrugged with a smile. "Aren't they usually that long?" 

Weiss shook her head lightly. "No, not really..." 

"Weiss, you've seen a lot of these before?" Blake looked over with a raised eyebrow. Weiss just cleared her throat and looked away. 

"Can...can I touch it?" Blake asked slowly.

"Sure, why not" Yang said with a her usual grin.

"Can I put a gun in it?" Ruby asked looking up at Yang with a smile. 

Yang sighed deeply and rolled her eyes. "For the last time Ruby, _no_. You cannot put a gun in my new arm..." Yang said tiredly. Ever since the four of them showed up in the medical room, the prosthetic arm was sitting in the opened crate that was brought into the medical room last night. 

Taiyang and Noir shared a look with eachother. Taiyang's face of horror over the conversation that four, teenage women were having in the middle of the medical room. Noir suppressing a wolfish grin over the same conversation. "Not a single word" Taiyang said slowly to Noir, who only shook his head. "Not a single chance..."

The doctor gave the seventh heavily sigh Yang counted. "Please, don't touch the arm..." He said as he continued to tap away at a monitor he was setting up next to one of the beds. 

The arm in the crate had a bright chrome finish. She would definitely have to paint it. It was sleek and curved just like a normal arm, not her arm though, something she'd have to deal with. Ruby was hovering around the arm, examining as much of it as she could without actually touching it, her eyes wide and a big grin on her face. Yang wondered if Ruby was thinking about cutting off her own arm just to get one of her own.

It took the better part of an hour for the team to convince the doctor to allow them to watch as much of the procedure as they could, he was adamant until Ruby gave him her puppy dog eyes. He cracked under a second after that.

"Right, lets get those measurements out of the way" The doctor said as he walked up to Yang. "Extend your arm as far as you can please" Yang did that, she was still in her pyjamas so it was a bit easier to move. Extending her arm out from her side, the doctor took measurements on her whole arm. Fingers to hand, hand to wrist, wrist to elbow, elbow to shoulder. 

Next, he moved to her other arm. Yang suddenly felt extremely exposed. He gently handled her stump, delicate and gentle so as not to cause pain. He measured from her stump to her shoulder and jotted down the length before moving to the artificial limb. He then began to make slight adjustments to it, he extended the wrist slightly and added two small plates just above the elbow to give it the same length as the matching arm. 

Making several other painstakingly tiny measurements that seemed to have no effect to her eyes, he looked at her. "That should do it..." He said slowly as he looked at her. "Now we need to make sure that it's up to snuff..." He said as he pulled up a strange machine. 

It looked like a large metal slab that was connected to a pole that was weighted down with several large other metal slabs on the bottom, wired in a way that was hooked up to several monitors. Each monitor had several techno jargon that made Yang's head hurt just looking at it. "Right then..." He said as he flicked the plate, different graphs and numbers began to fluctuate suddenly on the monitors. "I want you to punch the scale as hard as you can..." He told her as he walked back and got ready at the monitors. 

Yang noticed that everyone took several large steps away from her, probably for the best. Yang noticed that her father looked fairly nervous as well. With a nod, she stretched her left arm out a bit and took up a striking position and leaned into the hit. Punching the plate with all her might. Several beeps and noises came from the machines and the doctor took notes. "Good, good" He said as he got something ready. 

"I can do better" Yang said as she looked at the graphs on the screens. With a nod, Yang took up her pose again, reached back and hit it again. She saw the bar went up higher with a new number, higher than last time. "Again..." Yang said as gritted her teeth and threw another punch, doing better once more. 

"Ruby, can you go get my weapon?" Yang asked, with a nod, her younger sister disappeared in a plume of rose petals, only to reappear a few seconds later with Ember Celica. With Ruby's help, she slipped the black glove over her arm and the familiar weight of the weapon filled her with reassurance. Flexing her fingers lightly, Ruby took a step back and Yang jerked her arm, activating the weapon as the bracelet turned into a gauntlet, another sharp motion and a shell was loaded into the chamber and she threw another punch, triggering a small explosion against the plate.

Looking on the screen, her numbers were tripled. The doctor looked extremely impressed by them, nodding slightly as he made notes for further adjustments to the arm. Yang looked at the numbers and shook her head. "Wait..." Everyone looked at her and she looked at Noir. "Hit me" 

"Uh...what?" Noir asked as he looked very confused. 

"Hit me, I get stronger the more I'm hit" Yang told him. Her father just nodded lightly. 

"I had a hard time disciplining her" He said lightly. 

Turning to Taiyang, Noir pointed towards her. "Your daughter just asked me to punch her in the face..." 

"I am giving you permission to punch her in the face" 

" _I'm_ giving you permission to punch me in the face!" Yang said loudly, getting impatient about the whole thing. Slapping his hands on his knees, Noir got out of his seat and walked up towards her. "Alright then..." Noir said as he cleared his throat and took up a position to strike her. He adjusted the rolled up sleeves of his black and white plaid shirt. Yang could see black, curved lines on his tanned forearms of a tattoo that continued up his arms. He was obviously uncomfortable about the whole thing, but he eventually threw a punch at her. 

As the punch connected, his fist collided with her jaw and she barely reacted other than her head begin pushed to the side. Slowly, she turned and looked at him, stretching her neck and feeling several satisfied cracks come from the motion. "What was that?" She asked as he shook her head. "That was barely a love tap" 

A snicker came from Ruby and Blake as he looked over at them, they quickly calmed down and cleared their throats as Noir looked back at Yang and stretched his arm slightly and pulled back to strike her again. It was a little better, but not by much. "Come on, my baby sister could punch harder than you" That got a chuckle out of Weiss that time. Getting annoyed, Noir pulled his pistols out suddenly. 

He flipped them around in his hands until they were against his forearms, the blades extended and got ready to strike again, he quickly retraced the blades when he realized that he was trying to trigger her semblance, not trying to kill her. He took a few steps back and lunged at her quickly. The weight of the pistol added a lot of power to his strike, but before she could make a remark, he came around with a sharp left her, that actually made her take a step back. Another quick strike from his right made her stumble back and fall to her knee. 

The room was silent then and she felt the heat rising. She didn't need a mirror to tell that her eyes had went from a cool purple to a fiery red. Standing up slowly, she gritted her teeth and stared at Noir, behind him was the pressure plate, which helped focus her anger. Her aura was glowing brightly around her and she felt the familiar power flowing though her veins. Looking up at Noir, he suddenly realized that it was a bad idea to punch her like that, despite her asking for it. Her father quickly jumped out of his seat, grabbed him and pulled him out of the way as Yang triggered her gauntlet and leapt across the gap, her fist connecting with the plate.

She sent the plate flying across the room, past the several beds and landing on the last two, effectively bringing the amount of people who be treated at the same time here from twelve to ten. Everyone was silent as they stared either at Yang or across the room at the wake of her strength. "Thats my girl" Taiyang shouted out with a small laugh. 

Yang looked over at the monitors to see the doctor rubbing his forehead as bright red error signs flashed on all the screens. She began to take deep breaths to try and calm herself down as her father walked over and examined the doctors screens. "So, what does that mean?" He asked as he pointed at them. The doctor simply looked over at him and pointed to the now destroyed state-of-the-art equipment. "That, was designed to measure the impact velocity of tank shells...and she just overloaded it" He ran his hand down his mouth and sighed. 

"Will it work?" Yang asked, she finally calmed down and gently stretched her jaw muscle out, she could feel a cut on her cheek already starting to heal thanks to her aura. The doctor turned in his chair and looked at her. "Well, as long as you have your aura up and it protects against impact, you might get a small dent..." Yang thought about it for a second and nodded. "I can live with that" She then smirked and looked over at the rest of her team and smiled. 

"Don't worry guys, pretty soon, I'll be _armed_ and dangerous once more" That got a choir of groans from the three of them, a fourth from Noir who threw his hands up in the air and let them drop to his sides. "Really, arm puns? we're doing arm puns now? Fuck this, I'm out. I've got more important things to worry about..." He said as he began to walk out of the medical room, shaking his head. Yang simply gave a smirk as she walked up to the doctor who was busy tinkering with the arm once more. 

After making whatever adjustments he needed, he looked at her and at the rest of the team, including her father. "Right, Miss Xiao Long, I need you to get ready for surgery" She nodded and looked at the rest of her team. Her father walked up and raised his eyebrow. "Here? shouldn't we be at a hospital for that?" He asked as he looked around the place. 

"Please relax Mr. Xiao Long, its a rather simple procedure, I have brought all the equipment needed to make it. This facility, though not exactly in tip top shape..." He said looking over at where Yang had punched his equipment across the room. "I can assure you, everything will be fine" Taiyang looked between the doctor and Yang, and with a defeated sigh, he nodded. "Alright, tell me what you need" The doctor nodded and simply gestured to everyone. "If you could all leave, that would be a start. The sooner Ms. Xiao Long recovers, the sooner she can stop punching my things..." He said with another glance down the room. 

With a reassuring nod, a gentle touch from Blake, a Hug from Ruby and a kiss on her head from her father, everyone filed out of the room. Yang then changed into a hospital gown and sat down on one of the beds. Pulling up a chair next to her, he began to unwrap the bandages around her stump. With the bandages gone, Yang felt so exposed now. She'd rather be naked in front of Jaune then have anyone look at her stump, her weakness, her _failure_.

Setting the bandage on the side table, he examined what was left of her arm. The skin had started to heal over the wound, she figured her aura sealed it within two weeks of it being cut off. Yang simply looked away as he gently probed the area with his fingers before setting it back to her side. "Right, it doesn't seem too bad, a sharp clean cut so it will be a simple operation" He said as he got up and walked over to the crate and set the arm down on the next bed.

Wheeling the crate over, he opened it up and it began to come alive. A few lights and a ring with a very sharp looking saw along the bottom. "Now, its very simple" He said as he hit a few buttons. "Your arm is going to go in this hole, the saw is going to take a few centimetres to expose the bone, blood vessels and nerve endings" He demonstrated as he slipped his arm into the machine and gestured where the saw was going to come up and shave off a layer of her flesh. "Then it'll map it out, and attach his coupling" He then showed her a strange metal disc. "That will be the connection between your brain to the arm. Any questions?" 

Yang shook her head as he got a few more things ready. Yang took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing heart. He pulled the machine closer and looked around for a moment before pointing across from her. "Oh, can you hand me that?' He asked. Yang looked over to her left and saw a metal tray. Just as Yang reached over to grab it for him, something pinched her stump. Looking over slowly, she saw a syringe sticking out of her skin. Looking up at the doctor, he pumped her body full of whatever was inside of it and pulled it out. "Sorry, needed to get it in you while your Aura was down..." 

Yang's body suddenly felt very heavy. Blinking constantly, she watched as the doctor pocketed the needle and pulled the machine closer to the bed. Words didn't come out of her mouth, just blurbs and mumbles as her body got heavier and heavier. Picking up her stump, he slipped it into the hole and tightened the restraints around her skin, she tried to pull away but her body didn't listen. Her eyes started to close, she wanted to stay awake, but her body was slipping away every second. Before she fell into unconsciousness, the last thing she heard was the saw spinning to life. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Krimson was sitting at a table in the banquet hall, the stage with the piano remained silent as the bar had no one tending it. He was still going though the conversation he had with Amaranth earlier in the morning. Her words still echoing in back of his mind. 

_"My name is Winter, I am on a journey, and I am waiting for my sisters"_

The Winter Maiden was now here in this lodge. A being of godlike powers was in a room here. They had talked about it at that time, and she would remain here. Better to look after her while she's here than to have her out there on her own, just in case something happens. Krimson was so lost in thought that he didn't hear what Taiyang was saying until he knocked on the table, bringing him back to reality. 

"Hey, you hearing me?" 

"Sorry, It was a long night" Krimson said as he stiffled a sudden yawn and wiped a tear away that formed because of it. "You were saying?" He asked as Taiyang leaned forward a bit. Any sign of him getting the shit kicked out of him was long gone, now he looked like nothing had happened just a few days ago. 

"I was asking if it was alright to go back to Patch" Taiyang said as he leaned forwards lightly. "Yang's only got her pyjamas and a single change of clothes, and I've only got the ones on my back. We left in a bit of a hurry..." Krimson nodded as he looked around. "Sounds alright, I'll talk to Bleu and get everything ready. Be ready in an hour" Krimson got out of his seat and went to talk to their faunus pilot.

An hour later, Taiyang brought Ruby, Weiss and Blake onto the airship and Krimson followed suit. He gave orders to the other members of team KNGT to hold down the fort while they were gone. Stepping onto the airship, Ruby, Weiss and Blake sat down next to each other on one side, Krimson and Taiyang on the other. 

The long trip was filled with idle banter between the three girls, Ruby making suggestions about what upgrades to put inside of Yang's arm and the other two constantly shooting down her ideas. Krimson and Taiyang just spoke about little things that didn't matter in the slightest. The quiet moment of peace was broken when Bleu called out from the cockpit. "Uh, guys...we have a problem" Krimson got up and walked to the room and looked out the front window, a cold chill go down his spine. Taiyang looked over his shoulder and swore quietly. 

Gasps came from behind him, the girls must have seen it as well. A choked sob came from Ruby's lips as her father moved to comfort her, holding her close. "Get us in as close and quietly as you can, we don't know whats going on yet" Bleu nodded as the ship began to turn. Everyone grabbed their weapons to get ready for a fight. 

Outside the airship, Patch was burning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 15, never thought I'd make it this far. Thanks to everyone for reading and as always, feed back is always welcome.


	16. Broken Home

The airship landed just outside the town, the back ramp lowered and the five of them walked off onto the grass. Ruby looked around and saw flames ravaging homes and small businesses that she used to visit when she was attending Signal Academy just less than a year ago. "Keep your eyes open" Krimson said as he looked around. "Look for any survivors and be on the look out for any Grimm that might entered during whatever happened here" Getting nods all around, Everybody began to spread out with weapons drawn.

Though they spread out, they still remained within eyesight of each other. They checked in every building that wasn't completely burnt to the ground but couldn't find anything or anyone. It was only when they had gotten to the town's centre, that the dead showed up. 

Ruby looked across the town square and saw people that had died. Most of them were wearing White Fang uniforms, but those who weren't, she recognised them as people who lived there. She was trying her best to stay strong in front of her teammates and her father, but she couldn't stop a sob as she fell onto her knees in front of a Huntress in training wearing a Signal uniform, one of her friends. Slowly moved towards the girl, she closed her lifeless eyes and placed her weapon on top of her gently. 

Looking up as she felt a hand grip her shoulder, Weiss looked down at her and offered a reassuring smile. Blake was looking over the White Fang members. "Most of them looked liked they died of Grimm" Blake said as she walked over to each of them and inspected. Ruby remained on her knees and cried for her dead friend as Krimson and Taiyang quietly talked. 

"How many people live here?" Krimson asked as he looked around. 

"Over a thousand before voluntary evacuation, less than three hundred afterwards" Taiyang said sadly. 

"So...nearly three hundred people up and vanish within a day, burns the town down, and leaves during a Grimm attack..." Blake walked up to them and spoke up. "When we first arrived, one of the White Fang said they were sending a message, I suppose this was it..." Krimson nodded lightly as he folded his arms over his chest and looked around. 

"Lets spread out, there might still be someone alive" Ruby took a few shaky breaths before getting to her feet. With a nod, everyone spread out further to find anyone. Ruby ran all the way to the Academy, she reached the gate in just a few seconds, but fell to her knees when she saw it burnt to the ground. 

Looking up from tear fill eyes, she saw two people wading though the smoke and char. Getting to her feet, using the gate to help herself, she rushed to the building, only to find that those who were remain were already dead. Pyrrha and Roman were standing there, staring at her with emotionless eyes like they always have. Ruby gritted her teeth and gripped her head, she pulled her hair tightly since there was nothing else she could do. Letting out an anguished cry, she closed her eyes hard and felt a hammer strike her brain again. 

After a few minutes, Ruby returned to the group and told them what she had seen, leaving out that she saw Pyrrah and Roman. Blake, Weiss and Taiyang reported that they found no one else alive. Krimson took a deep breath and nodded. "For three hundred people, and only about thirty bodies all over the town, most of them White Fang...That means they must have been taken"

"But to where" Weiss chimed in. Ruby noticed how she looked at her, she probably didn't look very well, not after her breakdown in the ashes of Signal. She let out a shaky breath and kept her eyes on the ground. 

"I don't know, but the fact that they were not killed in the streets means that they will be kept alive for now" Krimson said outloud. "But for now, we have no way of knowing where they went" He sighed heavily as he looked between Taiyang and Ruby. 

"Noir and Taang got us off this island, if they hadn't done that, we'd end up the same" Taiyang said as he looked over to Ruby and walked up to her and pulled her into a hug. He held her close and kissed her head, whispering that they'll find them and bring them back. Krimson let them have a moment to themselves before talking. "Come, lets see if your home is still there so you can get some clean clothes" 

The walk to their home only took a few minutes, for them to walk to her home. She was glad to see that it wasn't burnt to the ground like the rest of the town. Slowly stepping past the dead White Fang that laid on the front lawn, she noticed that they each had one large bloody hole in their chests. Ruby and Weiss walked in with Taiyang while Krimson and Blake stayed outside. Walking over the door, Ruby looked around her house. The kitchen was destroyed, the pantry doors were torn off, food was thrown to the floor, the couch was flipped over and the TV was shattered. 

Ruby took a step and heard glass shattered under her boot. Looking down, she saw a picture frame under foot. Leaning over and picking it up, it was a picture of her mother. Summer Rose, smiling into the camera. Slipping the photo out of the frame, she put it inside her pouch and walked up the stairs to gather some clothing for herself and Yang. 

Her father was busy putting his clothes in order as Ruby filled a bag with her clothing as well as trying to figure out which of her older sister's clothing she actually wore or were just hanging in the closet. Her train of thought was interrupted when Weiss walked in and looked around. "You weren't kidding when you said my closet was bigger than your bedroom" She said as she walked over to Ruby's side of the room and looked around. 

"Yeah, told you..." She said as she threw a couple of things on her sister's bed and sorted out her unmentionables, her face flushing a bit. "I can't believe me sister actually wears some of these things..." She said quickly shoving bras and panties into a case for her. Weiss laughed as she walked over and picked up one of hers. "Is this even underwear? its just string" The two of them shared an embarrassed laugh as Ruby finished packing up Yang's clothing and moved back to her side of the room. 

She had packed some clothing when she left home nearly a month ago, so she had little else she needed. "You don't wear that stuff, do you?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow. Ruby's face turned as red as her namesake, quickly looking back at Weiss, she began to try and defend herself. 

"N-no, of course not. I never!" Ruby squeaked out as she filled a bag with more spare parts for her weapon than clothing out of nervousness. Weiss just laughed a bit, her pale cheeks a bright red. Ruby could tell that she was just trying to make her feel better, it was helping. "I'm glad you're back" Ruby said with a smile as she hoisted the bag and grabbed Yang's bag, only to have it be taken by Weiss with a smile. 

Walking down the stairs, her father smiled at her sadly as he nodded. Ruby gently hugged her father and they walked out of the house and met up with the rest. Blake and Krimson were talking about what had happened here and where they might be. When Krimson saw them walking out of the house, he uncrossed his arms and nodded to them. "Ready?" 

"We got everything we need, we won't be coming back here for a while..." Taiyang said as he looked back at the house and sighed deeply. They were about to start moving when a sudden noise came from the back of the house. Instantly, Krimson's scythe was out as everyone looked at what made it. Coming from around the corner, a small little dog on stubby legs ran towards them, barking happily as it chased towards them. 

"Zwei!" All three of the girls called out as the dog leapt into Ruby's arms. She held the dog close and nuzzled him as he began to cover her face in slobber. Weiss walked over and began to pet him as Blake made sure to keep at lease three meters away from the dog. Ruby laughed as she held the dog tightly for a few more seconds before letting him drop to the ground. 

With Zwei with them, they returned to the airship where the dog immediately scared Bleu with happy barking. He jumped out of his seat and pressed his back up against the wall of the cockpit, hitting several switches as he tried to escape the yapping animal. From him doing this, the cabin light turned red, air bags decended from the ceiling and hit Taiyang in the head. 

Krimson sighed heavily and put his face in his hand as Zwei continued to bark at the blue haired faunus. "Come on Zwei, leave the nice man alone" He said as he picked up the dog and everyone walked to the back of the ship. Ruby took up her spot as Zwei came over and jumped into her lap. Petting him, she smiled down at him as Weiss sat down next to her, her hand on him as well as she saw Blake sit a little further down from them. The red lights went away as the ship began to lift off. Ruby looked out the back of the ship as the ramp began to lift back up, taking in as much of her home as she could, it'll be a long time before she can return.

\------------------------------------------------------

_Smoke and shadows played with her eyes, flames casting a glow on everything they touched. "Blake!" Yang shouted as she walked around. A scream. Yang looked over and ran towards the building, inside, she saw Adam with his sword inside of Blake's stomach. "Get away from her!" Yang shouted as she went to leap at him, but her arm was gone. Adam just laughed as he brought his blade up and stabbed it back into Blake, who let out another cry of anguish._

_Yang went to move towards him, but tripped over something. Catching herself with her one arm, she looked at the ground and found she was standing on a mountain of detached and bloody arms. Adam and Blake were now standing across the field of limbs, twisting the blade in her abdomen. "Better hurry and find your arm, Blake might die" He laughed as he brought the blade back out and plunged it back into her stomach._

_Desperately, she began to dig her way through the mass of arms. Picking them up one at a time with her one arm. She looked at them and tossed them aside to pick a new one, trying to find hers. One after another, she threw the arms down the mountain as Blake's cries of agony mixed with her own ragged gasps of digging through the limbs._

_Suddenly, Blake's cries stopped and she looked up, instead of Adam, she saw herself. The whites of her eyes were black, and her usual lilac was a deep dark red. She had a murderous grin on her face as she looked at herself. "You killed her" Other-Yang said as she lifted the blade high in the air, and stabbed right into Blake's chest._

Awaking with a startle, Yang looked around, the effects of the antithetic slowly wearing off. Letting out a groan, she held her head as she sat up slowly, fighting her way though the heaviness of her own body as a bouncing red head came to her bedside. "Oh oh! she's awake, Ren! Yang's awake!" Nora shrieked. 

Yang watched Ren get startled awake Nora. With a yawn, he ran his hand though his black hair with a bright pink stripe on the side. Getting up, he walked up next to Nora and set a hand on her shoulder to stop her from bouncing on top of the blonde. "Hey, how you feeling?" Ren asked as he looked at her. 

Yang just groaned and shook her head. "Like ass" She croaked out as Ren handed her a glass of water. She accepted it happily and gulped it down. Once she was done, she set the glass down and took a deep breath. "That stuff was pretty heavy" The Doctor chimed in as he walked towards them, his eyes on his scroll. "It has to be, Ms. Xiao Long. You hunters have remarkable healing abilities, not to mention you can processes poisons and toxins at an alarming rate, the antithetic we need to use needs to be heavy" He said as he set his scroll down and looked at her. "Though it was just one hit, I suspect it'd kill a normal person" 

Yang nodded and looked at her stump. Instead of an arm, she saw a small metal plate covering where her stump ended. Slowly lifting her stump up, she examined it the best she could, gently running her fingers along the edge where her flesh and metal touched. She could feel her skin healing, nearly finished creating new scar tissue around the metal plate. Running her fingers along the front of the plate, she could feel several holes where the arm would connect. 

When she was done examining it, she looked at the doctor who nodded. "Ready for the next part?" He asked. Yang just nodded and took a deep breath. "Oh oh! Noir wanted to watch" Nora said as she ran over to the door then proceeded to scream Noir's name for the next ten seconds. Ren just placed his head in his hands and slumped into his seat. Slowly, the doctor looked from Nora to Yang and raised his eyebrow. When Nora stopped, Yang nodded knowingly. "I know, she's a little strange" 

The Doctor was about to say something when he was cut off by Nora screaming down the hall for Noir again. The three of them stayed silent and stared at each until she stopped. The doctor slowly pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He just grabbed the arm and moved to where Nora was sitting and placed the arm next to the stump, just in time for her to scream down the hall for a third time. Thankfully, it only lasted three seconds before Noir showed up behind her, opposite from the direction she was screaming. 

"Sweet fucking Dust in an ice cream cone! _Shut up!"_ Noir yelled over Nora. Yang quickly found out that his accent gets harder to understand the more riled up he was. Turning her head to look at him, Nora grinned at him. 

"Yang's awake and he's putting her arm on" Nora just smiled and walked back into the room, kicking her legs out with each step. Noir just stood there and stared at where she was just standing. Holding a blink to restart his brain from what he just witnessed. He then shook his head and walked into the room and pulled up a chair and sat down in it. 

With everyone silent, the doctor then grabbed the arm and looked at Yang. "Now, this is going to feel weird..." He said simply as he gripped her stump and the arm and brought them closer. She watched as Nora pulled her scroll out and began to record it. "Ruby didn't want to miss it" She said simply with a grin. Yang took a deep breath as the plugs of the arm found their sockets. When it was shoved in, Yang's eyes widen with the foreign sensation flooding her body. Chills and tingling sensations ran though her skin, trying to make sense of what was happening to her right now. 

When it passed, she let out a breath that she was holding in when it all happened. Blinking a few times, she looked down at the arm and tried to move it. "Its not moving..." Yang said simply. The Doctor nodded as he pulled a cable out of his pocket and connected his scroll to her arm. "Yes, it hasn't been activated just yet" He said as he began to tap a few commands on his scroll. "Okay, I've disabled it for now, its save to connect" He told her as he fidgeted with a small latch that was on the plate of her stump. "Okay...its going to feel _very weird_ now..." He then closed the latch, and her vision went white.

Pain shot though her arm, all the way up to her brain. Crying out sharply, she gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes shut. "Don't fight it" The doctor said as he held her metal arm down as Yang did her best not to thrash around on the bed. Taking deep breaths, she let out a few more painful yelps as her body slowly relaxed, the pain subsiding in waves. Opening her eyes, she looked down at the arm. The palm was up and she thought she saw her fingers twitch. 

"I just connected your nerves to the machinery of the arm" He explained as he went to the scroll and got ready. "Now, I want you to just move your fingers. Think about it but not too hard, just try to remember the way your body does it and your brain will do the rest" He said as he touched something on his scroll and a little twitch in her arm rocked up her body. 

Staring at metal hand, she mentally willed her fingers to move. _Move, come on move, just a wiggle. Please!_ Soon, her index finger began to twitch slowly. With a small smile on her face, the finger slowly began to curl into the palm and back out. Doing the same with others, she began to move all her fingers one at a time. The movements were twitchy and slow, but she was doing it. 

Making a slow fist, she gave her wrist an experimental move, making a slow circle. "Slow down a bit, you don't want to hurt yourself" The doctor said as he checked his scroll quickly. Ignoring him, she continued to move her wrist around, testing the fingers some more. Trying out the elbow, she moved it slowly, but it moved much faster than she expected. "No!" The doctor tried to stop what was about to happened, but it was too late. 

Her metal fist came right at her face and hit her nose hard enough to make her eyes water. Suddenly, her arm went dead and fell into her lap. Blinking away the tears, she looked around at everyone who had a surprised look on their faces. Ren had his hands over his mouth, his eyes wide as he watched what just happened. Nora's mouth just hung open as she watched the whole thing unfold on her scroll. Noir's face was twisted in horror, slowly turning into a massive grin. His shoulders began to shake as he silently laughed. "That was the greatest thing I've ever seen in my entire life" He said quietly. 

The silence that filled the room was broken by Noir who couldn't contain himself any longer and began to howl with laughter. Before anyone could say anything, he got out of his seat and began to limp to the door. His laughter could still be heard down the hallway as the doctor cleared his throat. "Right, slowly" He then touched his scroll and she could move her hand again. 

After a couple of minutes, Ren and Nora had told her that the rest of her team had gone to Patch to gather some clothing for her and her father. She nodded as she slowly moved her arm, careful not to go too quickly. "Thats good, I just hope she doesn't find things I've hidden inside my underwear drawer" She said with a smile. Ren simply cleared his throat as a blush crept along his cheeks. "I'm going get some lunch ready" He said as he quickly left the room. The doctor just shook his head and got out of his seat and went to check on his other tools. Nora laughed and winked at her. "Something fun?" She asked as she watched Yang move her arm around. "Nothing too bad" Yang admitted with a grin. "Can't get away with much when you share a room with your sister" A sudden crash brought their attention to the doctor who had dropped a silver medial tray on the floor. He was flustered as he tried to pick everything up quickly and then left when it was back on the counter. A laugh broke between the two of them. After a few minutes, Nora left her to practice moving her arm around slowly. 

The doctor came back after a few minutes once Nora left, he had a mug of coffee and returned to checking his equipment. "Good, you're picking this up quickly" The doctor said after an hour of Yang just using all her mental energy to not punch herself in the face again. "Now, lets go over a few maintenance steps" He said as he set a small case next to him as he sat next to her. Yang used all of her focus to set her arm in her lap gently. "The arm is a Dust infused metal alloy with flexible titanium flex weave in the joints, that makes it very light, flexible and extremely durable" He began as he gestured to her arm. "With the Dust infusion, you'll be able to channel your aura though it, making it even stronger, but should your aura be drained, it can still be powered by normal dust" 

He then reached over and slide her forearm open. It felt so strange. It was like her arm was numb, she could feel him touching the area on her arm, but there was no sensation, just pressure. With her arm open, she could see all the inside mechanics that made the arm work. She then made a mental reminder to _never_ let Ruby play fiddle with it. He then pulled out a small cylinder of blue dust that looked like a long battery and slipped it inside, once it was locked in place, he pressed it back into her elbow. "The battery can also be consumed to give yourself a little extra, umpf, if you need it" She smiled at the idea of that. Her arm slid closed and she moved it around a bit more. "Just one question Doc" She said with a smirk on her lips. He nodded and waited for her. 

"Does it come in other colours?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my story, all feed back is welcome.


	17. Darkness

It was dark out when everyone had returned. Yang was busy walking up and down the length of the medical room, testing out the new weight on her arm. She found herself leaning to the right and tried to correct it. The doctor said that it was perfectly normal and that she'd get used to it quickly. The movements were still fairly janky, but she was getting better. Eyeing up the destroyed piece of machinery that she had punched all the way down here, she wondered how much harder her fist was now. She would have to see about getting those readings at some point before she turned around and began to strut down the length of the room, pretending she was in some fashion show. 

She reached the other side and put her metal arm in the air, struck a pose and turned around. She then walked all the way back down and returned. She raised her right arm over her head and leaned over slightly, giving the imaginary photographers something good to not photograph. A sudden flash brought her attention to the door. Slowly turning, she saw Ruby, Weiss and Blake staring at her. Ruby's scroll in her hand with a giant grin. Weiss had a disappointed look on her face as Blake had a light red blush across her cheeks. Not as red as Yang's embarrassment on her own face. "Uh...hey guys" Yang said before she corrected herself into a normal standing posture.

Ruby just giggled as she saved the photo and pocketed her scroll and the three of them walked into the room. "Brought your clothes" She said with a smile as she put the large bag onto the bed. Weiss and Blake stood around Yang and eyed up her new arm. Yang grinned and flexed lightly, showing it off to them. "So, how is it?" Blake asked once the heat retreated from her face.

"Fine, a bit heavy, but the doctor was saying that I'm advancing though the rehab at an accelerated rate, I'm already a week ahead of schedule, at the rate I'm going, I'll be good to go within two weeks" Yang said with a grin as she tried to fold her arms over her chest, but simply managed to punch her own boob. Everyone just stared at her for a few moments as she did her best not to flinch or response to the pain. "Did...that hurt?" Weiss asked as she pointed at her. 

"Yes...yes it did" Yang told her simply with a nod of her head. 

"More or less than when you punched yourself in the nose?" Blake asked with a small smile. Yang just blinked a few times as she stared at them. "Did Noir tell you?" 

"Nope" Ruby popped the 'P' as she pulled her scroll out and began to swipe and tap the screen until she turned it around and showed her a video that was sent from Nora. Yang saw herself sitting in the bed and trying to move her new arm. She punched herself in the nose and the video stopped after Noir's voice came from the speaker of the device.

_"That was the greatest thing I've ever seen in my entire life"_

Yang sighed heavily and made sure to put her face in her left hand, so as to not hit herself accidentally with her metal hand. "I'm going to kill that woman..." Yang said under her breath as she shook her head. Ruby giggled lightly as she put her scroll away. Yang walked to the bag that her sister packed for her and began to look though what she had brought. "So, how was home?" Yang asked. 

The silence that followed that question spoke volumes, and the longer it stretched, the larger a void in her heart became. "Ruby?" Yang asked as she slowly began to turn back to her sister. The small girl was staring at the ground, the others were avoiding her eyes. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife. Yang looked between off of them, waiting for someone, _anyone_ , to speak. 

"Ruby?" Yang asked again, she did her best to keep her voice stable, but it shook ever so gently. Ruby opened her mouth to say something before closing it. She did this two more times before she looked up at her, her silver eyes brimming with tears. "Its gone, Yang" Her voice quiet and trembling, barely audible within the silent void of the room. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she took a ragged breath in and spoke again. "They burnt it to the ground, Yang. The school, the town. _Everything._ It was on fire" 

Weiss quickly got out of her chair and wrapped her arms around Ruby and held her tightly. Blake then stood up and walked up to Yang, placing a hand on her shoulder. "The White Fang took almost everyone, burned what they couldn't take" She said quietly as Ruby cried into Weiss's shoulder. Yang could feel her own tears welling in her eyes, threatening to spill over. Her fists clenching, the metal one scraping against her metal palm, she needed to be strong, for her team, for her leader. "We found a few dead' Blake continued. "Most of them were White Fang, but a few were student-" 

Yang put her metal fist though the table next to her bed. Every flinched and looked up at her. Yang clenched her teeth as she slowly retracted her arm out of the table and flexed her fingers slowly. She walked up to her sister and placed her human hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. "We'll get them back Ruby" Yang said as she stared into her eyes. "I Promise you. We will get them back" 

Ruby nodded as she released Weiss and hugged her sister tightly. Slowly, Blake walked up to them and wrapped her arms around the two of them as well, Weiss followed shortly after, adding her weight to the hug. Together, they all squeezed their leader lovingly as she balled her eyes out into Yang's chest. They stayed like that for a while before Ruby tapped out. All of them released her and she smiled at all of them. "Thanks guys" She said as she wiped her eyes with her sleeves. Yang gently placed a hand on top of her head and smiled at her softly. "Go get some sleep, Sis. You've had a long day" 

Ruby nodded and gathered her things before leaving. "Good night, Yang" Ruby said with a small smile before leaving the medical room. Weiss said her goodnight to them and left shortly afterwards. Blake just turned and looked at Yang, her attention drawn to her arm. "What are you thinking?" Blake asked. 

"What do you mean?" Yang asked as she looked over at the black haired faunus. 

"I've been your partner long enough to know when you're thinking something..." Blake said as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, her arms folding under her chest. Her amber eyes filled with concern. Yang just shrugged simply and lifted her arm up gently and looked down at it. Her shiny fist clenching tightly as she saw herself in the reflection of her knuckles. "I'm not going to be ready in two weeks" Yang said coldly as she looked up at Blake, fire in her eyes. 

"I'm going to be ready in three days" 

\---------------------------------------------------------

After Weiss had changed into her night gown, she was laying in the dark room, the curtains of the window were open, allowing the moonlight to fill the room in a silvery glow. She was laying on her back, staring at the ceiling, her mind trying to figure out a way to make Ruby feel better. With a sigh, she turned over to her side and stared at the dresser across the room. She somehow felt better in sleeping a smaller room, the closer walls made her feel safer, safer still knowing her team was so close to her. Of course, she'd like it if they all slept in the same room again, just to complete the sensation of being at Beacon. Maybe then she could wake up from this nightmare. 

She decided to see if Ruby was still awake. Getting out of the bed, she shivered at how cold the room had become. No longer being shielded by the heavy and warm blankets. She rubbed her bare shoulders as she got up and pulled some fuzzy white slippers over her feet. Wrapping a matching robe around her body, she pulled her white hair over her left shoulder and took a deep breath before leaving her room. 

The hallways were dark and silent. Gently walking less than ten feet to the door next to her, she was about to knock on Ruby's door when she heard something coming from the other side. Slowly putting her ear against the door, her eyes widen and her heart stopped for a second. Behind the door, she could hear Ruby sobbing. Weiss leaned against the door and listened to her quietly cry behind the wooden door. 

_"I'm sorry"_

Weiss's still heart shattered from hearing her quiet voice behind the door. Every few seconds, Ruby would repeat those words before descending into another sob. Gently, Weiss gripped the door knob and opened it, slowly poking her head in to see her partner. The bed was empty and the lights were off, but Weiss could still hear the sobbing. "Ruby?" She asked as she slid into the room and began to look around. 

_"I'm sorry....I'm sorry....I'm sorry...."_

Hearing her voice, Weiss began to walk towards the bed and saw the black and red haired girl sitting on the floor between her bed and the night stand. She had her knees against her chest, her arms holding them tight against her body. Her black pyjamas with tiny pink dots all over them wrinkled from the position she was sitting in. Ruby was rocking back and forth gently as Weiss slowly approached her. "Ruby?" Her voice was deathly quiet, as if any loud noise would shatter the girl. She just ignored her and continued to sob and rock gently. 

_"I'm sorry....I'm sorry...I'm sorry"_

Walking up to her, Weiss gently placed a gentle hand on Ruby's arm and looked into her eyes. Her wide silver eyes were staring out, unfocused and blood shot. Dark circles under her eyes made more exaggerated by the glow of the moon though the window. The white haired woman noticed that it took a full thirty seconds to blink, as if she was afraid to close her eyes. Gently, Weiss shook her arm gently. 

"Ruby" 

She began to blink slowly, stopping her rocking, her eyes focusing slowly as she looked up at Weiss. Her brow furrowed in confusion as she blinked rapidly for a few seconds, giving her eyes much needed moisture. "Weiss?" Her voice creaked gently, apparently snapping out of whatever world she was living in just a few seconds ago. "Ruby, are you okay?" Weiss asked gently as she sat against the bed, her legs under her as she looked over at Ruby, lightly rubbing her arm. 

Ruby looked at her for a few seconds, opening her mouth to say something, then decided against it. The next time she opened her mouth, she buried her head into her legs and shook her head. "No..." 

"Can you tell me what's wrong?" She asked slowly, her eyes never leaving her leader. 

"I see them..." 

"See who?" 

"The one's I failed to save..." Ruby sobbed again. Weiss just squeezed her arm gently as she looked at her. "I see them in my dreams, and I see them when I'm awake. What's wrong with me" Ruby asked as she looked up at Weiss. Her had no more tears to match her sorrow. Weiss didn't know what to say, she just looked at her, voice stolen by the sight of her. "I see them. Pyrrha and Roman. They just, _stare_ at me..." Weiss just nodded blindly, not knowing what else to do. 

Gently, Weiss pulled Ruby's arm off the death grip she had on her legs. "Come on, Ruby, lets get you into bed" she said softly. Slowly, Ruby nodded and Weiss helped her to her feet. She pulled some of the blankets and sat her down on the edge of the bed. She then went to leave when Ruby's hand darted out and gripped her own. "Don't leave me...please" 

Looking back at her, she saw her staring at the ground while holding her hand. She squeezed so tightly, she could feel her blood getting cut off. "Okay..." She said gently as she walked back to the bed and sat next to her. Pulling the robe off gently, Ruby released her hand just long enough for it to drop to the floor before she grabbed her hand again. Slowly, they laid down in the bed together, her one arm under the younger girl's body, being held close to her chest as Weiss pulled the blankets over the two of them. Gently, she ran her free hand though her black and red hair. Happy the crying was over, but now Weiss was more worried than ever. 

\-------------------------------------------------

After breakfast that morning, everyone was gathered in the dining room as Krimson looked to everyone and giving the day's plan. "Okay, we're going to work on a couple of different things today, we're splitting apart to make get as many things done as possible" Krimson said as he walked between the tables, he then pointed to several people and called them out in turn. "Noir, Grau, Blake, Weiss, Ren and Nora will be travelling west on a hunt, your mission is to make sure a Nest isn't near the lodge, or else things will become very difficult later on" Getting nods from everyone who was called, they began to quickly finish so they could get geared up. 

"Jaune and Ruby will be working with Taiyang and myself and practice leadership decisions and tactics. Taang, you'll be patrolling, make sure no more grim pop up at our front door" Some more nods as he looked over at Yang who was practising picking up an empty cup and doing her best not to break it. "Yang will continue her rehabilitation, the sooner she's back, the sooner we can start hitting the White Fang where it hurts, and start asking questions that we need answers to" 

Slowly, Jaune raised his hand and looked at him. "What kind of questions?" He asked.

"Where their bases are, what their planning, where they've taken the residents of Patch, and where Cinder Fall is" Getting nods from everyone, they began to pack up and get geared for the day ahead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read my story, it really means a lot to know if you are liking it. All feed back is welcome and again, thank you for reading.


	18. A walk in the Light

Jaune Arc watched as the remaining members of team JNPR, his team walked though the snow towards the west, over the frozen lake and towards the tree line. With a heavy sigh, he walked next to Ruby towards the gym, where Krimson would be waiting for them. Jaune couldn't help but feel nervous about the whole thing, in a matter of days, he had, literally, swooped in and saved them, pointed them in the direction of their goal of tracking down Cinder, and is now helping them to just that. 

If Jaune wasn't so focused on avenging Pyrrha, even his usually slow mind would have told him that he was being used. 

Arriving in the gym, they went to an adjoining room where it reminded him of the gymnasium at schools would have. Hardwood floors, polished to shine under bright lights over head. The walls were white with a set of doors on the far side, probably filled with different team based sports equipment. Why a lodge would need an empty room this large was beyond him, he just focused on the dark red cloaked figure standing in the middle of it, next to him, the young woman they saved from the massive Grimm previously.

At some point, Taiyang, Ruby and Yang's father, appeared behind them. He introduced himself to him during their first night. In just a few days, he went from looking like a raw steak to a normal human being. He had his arms folded of his chest, he gave his daughter a reassuring smile before turning his attention to Krimson as well. 

"I know things are very hectic right now, and I can't promise things will get any better soon, but I can promise that what you do here, will benefit all of this Remnant and everyone who lives in it" Jaune nodded simply hearing him say that, he was so lost, he looked over at Ruby, who was staring at him, her silver eyes were steel. Looking back at him, Krimson continued. 

"Now, with that said, the three of you, as well as your respective teams, are now part of the Brotherhood. Though I wish it were under better circumstances, but in recent events, we are desperate" Krimson sounded very tired at that last part, like he personally had been fighting a whole war on his own. "What exactly is the Brotherhood?" Jaune found himself asking slowly. 

"The Brotherhood is a group of people that have dedicated their lives to protected people from the horrible truths of this world" Krimson said, his own silver eyes staring at Jaune, feeling them look right though him and see his unprotected soul, made him shiver slightly. 

"What kind of truths?" It was Taiyang who asked this, he had dropped his arms and listened to him. "The truths that people are better off not hearing" Krimson said as he began to walk around gently. "The truth behind a lot of the myths and fairy tales that you've grown up listening to. The Maidens are one of them" He said as he put his hands behind his back and continued. 

"Hundreds, maybe even over several _thousand_ years ago, the hermit, or wizard, or sage, gave four young woman incredible powers. They were protectors of the world, but with all power, comes greed. People began to hunt them down to try and obtain their powers. Because of this, they were hidden from the world, but they never disappeared" He then looked to Amaranth and nodded gently. She nodded back and took a step forward and took a deep breath. "Hello, though you may not know me, Krimson has told me to trust you with my truth" She said gently. 

Jaune looked over at Ruby with a raised eyebrow. She returned the confused look and a shrug as they turned back to the blue haired woman. "I am the Winter Maiden, and I will do everything I can to help you track down my sister and stop her from hurting any more people" 

Silence filled the room suddenly. Jaune felt his jaw drop slowly as the realization hit him like Yang's fist when he accidentally walked into the wrong room when team RWBY was changing. "Cinder is a Maiden?" Jaune said as he looked over at Ruby. "I knew that already Jaune..." Ruby spoke up quietly. Jaune then looked back to Taiyang and shrugged. "Ruby told me about it.."

He sighed and shook his head lightly. "Why am I always the last to know things..." 

"Yes, Cinder a Maiden. She is the Fall Maiden to be precise" Krimson said as he stood next to the Winter Maiden. "But, she's not actually the proper Maiden" Amaranth spoke up gently. "When a Maiden dies, whomever she thinks of becomes the next Maiden, though they must be a girl, and they must have the right qualities, if none of these are met, the next possible person to meet these conditions is chosen" 

"But somehow, Cinder stole the powers..." Krimson added as he spoke up again. "With her becoming the Fall Maiden and the fall of Vale, the Brotherhood as made it in their best interest to name her a Witch" Then without missing a beat, he answered Jaune's question before it could escape his lips. 

"A Witch, is a Maiden who has decided to use her power for her own benefit instead of saving those on this Remnant. When that happens, a team of Witch Hunters are made and they hunt her down. Right now, it is the responsibility of team KNGT to do this, though we are also responsible of keeping other dark secrets from coming to the light of day" 

"Like a Grimm Nest?" Taiyang asked with his eyebrow raised. Krimson nodded slowly as he folded his arms. "Among other things" 

"You kept using the term _'Nest'_ , what is that exactly..." Ruby asked slowly raising her hand. "We were never taught about a Nest in class, we don't know where Grimm come from" 

"And I hope it stays that way for a long time" Krimson chimed in. "In truth, we'ven only discovered these Nests fairly recently, we still don't know exactly where they come from, but we've begun to get hints and clues. Nests are one of these" Krimson began to explain. "Grimm are drawn to negative feelings and emotions, as is common knowledge, but with Grimm attacks becoming larger and more violent, we've noticed that Grimm always seem to come from the same direction during some attacks. Thus, we began to find these Nests" 

"What kind of place is a Nest?" Ruby asked gently. Krimson just looked at her and took a deep breath. "Think of the darkest, blackest area you can think of. So deep that no amount of light will reach it. So horrible, no creature with a soul will even go near it. At the heart of this pit, is where you will find the Nest" 

"And you just sent a bunch of kids there..." Taiyang said with a shake of his head. Krimson smirked lightly. "Thats why I sent _six_..."

\------------------------------------------------------------

Making their way though the snow, Noir lead the group of people towards the west, where the Elder Tomb Digger appeared. Blake could still remember the horrible cry it made as it rolled though the trees and when it sunk to the bottom of the lake. The hole it made had frozen over, becoming totally sealed once again. Blake hoped that it was enough to keep it down there. 

Beside her, Weiss was thumbing the rotating chambers of her weapon, checking it for the fourth time since they left the lodge. A head of them, Noir pulled out a small white box and pulled a cigarette and put it in his mouth before pulling out a lighter and igniting the end of it before inhaling the smoke. Behind her, Ren and Nora were walking together. Nora, the only person in the group who had a large grin plastered on her face. Bringing up the rear was Grau and his massive armour, thumping along. 

Blake turned to Weiss who had put her weapon away and began to look around.They had been walking for a while with little conversation, Weiss slowly began to walk a bit closer to Blake, close enough to have a conversation without the others hearing. "There's something wrong with Ruby" Weiss said finally after making sure the others couldn't hear them easily. Blake nodded simply, looking back at the other young adults. Ren had his hands full with trying to steer Nora in a straight line whenever some woodland creature darted from the trees around them. 

"I know, Noir noticed it as soon as he saw her. He let me know and I watched her for a bit" She said quietly as they walked. "Its exactly as he said. He said she is suffering from something all Hunters go though at some point in their careers" Weiss nodded knowing what she was talking about. Post traumatic stress disorder. It was something she wished Ruby wasn't going through on her own, but they didn't see what Ruby saw that day. "She seemed better this morning though, she actually ate some food and she looked like she got some sleep last night"

If Blake didn't think that the cold was making Weiss's cheeks red, she would have sworn that the heiress was blushing. "I talked to her last night" She said simply, straightening out and lifting her chin up, something she always did when conversation steered towards something that embarrassed her. That brought a small smile to her face as they moved, "So, what did you talk about?" she asked. 

Weiss's expression returned to the depressed state it was before. "She's having nightmares about the people she couldn't save" Her voice was pained, she obliviously did not like to talk about it, but it helped to get it out. "She says she sees Pyrrha and Roman when she's awake, apparently they just stare at her. I'm worried for her, Blake" She just nodded lightly. 

"I know Weiss, we all are" Blake said gently as Noir threw his finished cigarette into the snow and slowed down and looked at them. "What you girls talking about?" He asked looking over at them. "Nothing!" Weiss stammered out when he suddenly got close to them. "Riiiiight" He said with a smirk and sniffed the air lightly. He just made a hum noise as he looked around. 

"So, what's your story, Snow Queen" 

" _Snow Queen?_ " Weiss asked with a confused on her face. 

"Yeah, that's what I'm calling you..." Noir said as he pointed at her. 

"Do _not_ call me that" 

"Make me" Noir said with a grin from the side as Nora began to laugh, ending in a very distinct snort. "She likes it" He gestured lightly. Weiss stamped her foot down, causing the group to stop as she raised her voice to him. "Oh I will!" She said as she folded her arms over her chest. Noir just let out a chuckle as shook his head. 

"If I can get away with calling Winter Schnee the Queen Bitch of At-"

_Slap!_

Weiss's hand shot out so fast and slapped Noir across the face, Blake barely saw it happen. Silence filled the snowy scene as Noir slowly turned his head towards Weiss and raised his eyebrow. "Don't _ever_ refer to my sister in that way ever again" She was breathing deeply, her anger coming out in deep breaths. Slowly rubbing his cheek, he watched Weiss for a few seconds. "Interesting..." He said slowly as he looked at her. "Very interesting..." 

Grau walked up to them and looked between the two of them. "You went too far that time Noir" His voice deep and calm, but Blake could tell that he was just as mad as Weiss was. She explained that Grau was her half brother, so it was understandable that Grau was just as angry at Noir for talking about their sister like that. "She worked tirelessly to gain her position, and if Weiss wasn't here, I'd punch you..." Noir looked up at him and nodded. "Alright fine, you get a free shot..." Noir said as he put his chin forward, Blake watched as a small smirk formed on his lips. 

Grau leaned back a bit and thoughtfully stroked his own chin. "What was her name again?" He said lightly. Weiss looked up at him with a confused look on his face and Blake just smiled. 

"No" Noir pointed at Grau, pointing upwards at his face. 

"I believe it starts with an 'M'" Blake said, a smile forming on her lips. Grau looked over at her, eyebrow raising. "Oh, you know this game?" 

"You're not allowed to play" Noir said pointing his finger at Blake's face now. 

"Magnolia!" Grau said as he smiled wider. 

"Don't make me come up there!" Noir said as he pointed back up at Grau's face. Weiss was now smiling lightly with a raised eyebrow. "Who's Magnolia?" She asked lightly. 

"No one! She's no one! She's the devil and evil personified into a perfect body and legs for days!" Noir shouted as he began to walk away from them, flailing his arms wildly. Nora began to laugh loudly and snorted again. Grau just smiled a bit. "Thats his girlfriend" Grau said as he watched Noir began to pace along the trees, trying to plan an escape route. "If you want him to stop bugging you, just bring her up" Weiss nodded and watched him. 

"You have a girlfriend?" Ren asked as he walked up next to everyone. 

"Its complicated!" He shouted back at them as he began to walk back to them. 

"First time I met her." Grau began slowly. "We were just talking about the line up for the previous Vytal festival tournament, when he just froze up and sniffed the air. He then jumped though the window, on the fifth floor apartment mind you. Next I know, some woman barges in and demands to know where he went. When I told her that he jumped out the window, she swore and left. The next day we got a different hotel room and she found us there. She punched him in the face as hard as she could and then they made out for half an hour. That night, it was very loud. I wasn't sure if they were having sex or she was skinning him..." 

That brought a blush to everyone's face, though Nora seems like she wanted to know more. Noir just began to force a laugh while looking at everyone"A bit of both" He then laughed again before clapping once, his fake laughter gone. "Who wants to scout with me?" He asked looking everyone. 

"I'll go" Blake said with a small smirk. 

"Kitty Cat, who else" 

With the look Weiss gave Blake, she knew what she was trying to say without actually saying it.

_He calls you that?_

Blake just nodded sadly. Weiss slowly raised her hand. "I'll go" 

"Nope! You'll just slap me again"

"Oh oh! I can be sneaky!" Nora said as she rushed up and pushed past Grau with ease. 

"Doubt it, but I like your enthusiasm. The rest of you take a break, we'll be back" Noir said as he turned around and was more than happy to leave the conversation behind. He asked as he looked over at her. Nora just nodded happily and walked with them. 

"Do you really call Weiss's sister that?" Blake asked. Noir just shrugged as he pulled out another cigarette and lit it up. "Once or twice, she didn't seem to mind, so it just kinda stuck..." He said as he exhaled the foul smelling smoke. "But hey, you don't know where the line is until you cross it" He said simply as they walked.

"So, what are we looking for?" Blake asked as she scanned the trees. "Somewhere thats dark, deep, and drains all hope and happiness from your heart when you look into it" Blake nodded and continued to look, a few seconds later, Nora called out to them. "Like this?" 

Walking over to her, she had found a cave. Staring into the abyss, not even her faunus eyes could see the end of it. "Dark, check" Blake said lightly. Noir picked up a rock and threw it into the cave with all his strength. It took a few moments before the sound reached them. "Deep, check" Noir spoke gently. "I don't feel happy any more..." The red head said lightly. Blake looked over at her and for the first time since they left, Nora wasn't smiling. With a nod, Noir looked at the two of them. "Go get the others, I'll wait here" He then drew one of his pistols and watched them leave. 

Blake and Nora returned with the rest of the group in a few short minutes. As they came though the trees, Noir quickly raised his pistol to them, then lowered it when he saw it was them. Holstering it, Grau walked next to Noir, who was inspecting the walls of the cave. "What do you think, Big man" He said as as he tossed another spent butt on the ground. "Natural or mine" 

After a quick glance at the walls, he looked down the length of the darkness. "Mine, you can see where the picks hit the walls" He said as he pointed. 

"Yes, but their always in groups" Noir ran his finger tips along several of the scratches. Blake could see his point, they looked more like claw marks than a pickaxe. "So its a Tomb Digger" Weiss said as she also inspected the markings. Everyone looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "How do you know about Tomb Diggers, I just found out about them yesterday" Blake said lightly. 

"They're in the third year textbook" Everyone looked at her with even more confusion. "What? I finished reading the first year textbook after a month of starting at Beacon, I wanted to get ahead of my work..." 

Noir just smirked. "Neeeerd" He said with a smirk. Weiss 'humphed' with a fold of her arms. Noir looked back at the wall and shook his head simply. "The idea is right, but the proof is wrong..." He said as he looked down the wall. "The claws are too small for a Tomb Digger, much less an Elder, and Beowolves can't claw their way though a mountain..." 

"What if it was a small Tomb Digger?" Nora asked. Weiss just rolled her eyes. She was about to lecture her on Grimm Studies, but she was interrupted when Noir and Grau looked at each other in realization and spoke in unison. 

"Den Mother" 

They then drew their weapons suddenly, making the rest draw theirs. "What's a Den Mother?" Weiss asked quietly. "Something that just made our day a much, much worse" Noir looked back at them and smirked. "Lets go introduce ourselves to the neighbours" 

The six of them then descended into the unknown abyss, unsure at what they were about to find.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thanks for reading and I'm always accepting feed back so please comment!


	19. A bump in the Dark

With her newly painted arm, Yang was walking though the halls of the lodge. While most of her friends were out on a hunt, and her sister was having lessons on how to be a leader, Yang was left with her own devices. The doctor had taught her how to properly do maintenance on her arm, teaching her how to remove it and make fine adjustments. He put it back into the case and Yang designed the new paint job for it. Black with a thick yellow down the forearm and up the back of the elbow, yellow hand with black fingertips. Satisfied with the look of it, she slipped the arm back into the socket and reconnected the nerves. The same sensation happened as last time, but she controlled it better, and didn't punch herself in the face. Bonus. 

With this being the first day of her planned three day rehab timeline, she figured she'd try out some exercises. She made her way to the fitness room and tested out her strength on the lift weights. Easily lifting some of the heavier ones, she even surprised herself as how easily she could do such an act. Letting it drop to the ground in a loud thud, she flexed her metal arm a bit and smiled. Starting on a treadmill, she began to jog rather quickly, raised the speed every few minutes. She hadn't worked out in a while, it became apparent when she stopped jogging to catch her breath.

Hating herself all over again for not keeping up with her routine when she had got her arm cut off, just wallowing in her self pity as she watched her sister walk away from their house. A sharp, happy bark brought her out of her self pity and she looked down to see Zwei staring up at her. Yang smiled as she reached over and scratched his ears, careful to use her left hand. "Hey Zwei" She said with a smile as she straighten up and stretched a bit. 

She was happy to see him again, he was put outside when the White Fang first showed up at their house that day, Taiyang told him to run and he did just that. But how he was back and she was happy for the comfort on her bed last night. "Lets go get some water" She said and the dog happily agreed with another bark. Walking though the empty halls, she looked out the window every time she could, she saw the trail they took over the frozen lake, she wished that she could go with them, but Yang accepted the fact that she wasn't ready. Not yet.

She grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen and saw a pile of apples in a bowel. She walked up to the bowel and gripped one with her left hand. Staring at it slowly, she then tossed it into the air and watched it. Reaching out, she tried to catch it in her metal hand, but missed. Trying again three more times, frustration growing with every attempt, she caught it on the last attempt and ended up crushing the fruit, turning it to chunks and mush. 

With a angry noise, she tossed it the ruined apple onto the floor, where Zwei was more than happy to eat it. She picked up another one, and broke it again. Getting worse, she gave it to Zwei and tried once more. Before she caught it, a bronze hand came out of nowhere and grabbed the apple out of the air in front of her face. Following the metal gauntlet up the very muscular and heavily scarred arm, she looked up at Taang with a raised eyebrow. Pulling the apple back, he examined it lightly and took a bite out of it, juices running down his dark beard. "A waste of apple" He said slightly as he grabbed a glass and began to pour some milk into it for himself. 

"If you don't like apples, there are easier ways to not eat them, Yang Xaio Long" Taang said as he took another bite of the fruit and leaned against the counter. 

"Zwei liked it" The dog barked happily, wondering if he was going to get more. 

"I suppose, but I'm sure you can find something less, consumable, to practice catching with." He said as he continued to eat. Yang sighed lightly and nodded. Suddenly, something green came from to into view and she reached out quickly and grabbed it in her metal hand. The ball was squeezed hard, she was expecting something to break but it did not. In her hand, a green tennis ball was squeezed between her fingers, slowly relaxing the grip, it returned to it normal shape. Looking up at Taang, he tossed the apple core away and started to drink the milk. 

"Where'd you find this?' She asked as she squeezed it again, trying to memorize how much force she used. "Noir Handa, he usually has one or two around" He said simply. 

"Noir has a ball?" She asked with a smirk. 

"Don't all dogs have a ball?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. Yang chuckled lightly as she threw the ball up and caught it again, doing better than last time. "Thanks" She said finally. Taang just nodded as Yang tossed the ball back at him, only for him to toss it back at her to catch. "So, you think the others will be okay?' She asked as she passed the ball. 

Taang nodded gently as he caught and passed back. "Grau is an excellent Hunter, I have no doubt that they will return quickly, successful and unharmed" He said with a nod. Yang then raised her eyebrow. "And Noir?" Taang then the ball for a few seconds in thought before he tossed it back. "As much of an annoyance Noir Handa is, in the small amount of time I've known him, he has become my brother and comrade in this team. It hurts my heart to see him hurt so much" Yang paused the throw when he said that, resuming the game of pass she raised an eyebrow. "He's hurting? I don't believe that" She said. She couldn't help notice that Zwei had been watching the ball intently while they tossed it between each other. 

"He is a man who holds the weight of the world on his shoulders, though no one has asked him to." He said with a nod. "Though I do not fully understand what it was, I know it has something to do with Magnolia, his time while he became a Hunter, and a man named Adam Taurus" 

Hearing his name, Yang missed the ball, causing Zwei to charge after it as it bounced on the ground and began to chew on it mercilessly. "Adam?" Yang asked. Slowly, Taang nodded. "Though I know very little of this man, whenever Noir Handa talks about him, I can feel the hatred in his heart, enough to bring an army of Grimm to him on that thought alone." Yang looked over at the dog who was now standing on its back legs, leaning against her and tried to give her the ball to throw again. Picking up the ball from Zwei's mouth, she looked it over before tossing it back to Taang. "I wonder what happened" She said lightly. 

"I do not know, may whatever gods, angels or demons help those who do know..." 

\-------------------------------------------------------

As they walked down the dark tunnel, the light quickly fading behind them the deeper they walked. Eventually, Weiss couldn't see anything in front of her. Trying her best to keep her hand on the wall, she suddenly bumped into someone in front of her. "Sorry..." She said as she began to reach out to anyone. She felt someone's shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. Someone behind ran into her, causing her to rub up against whoever was in front of her. With a heavy sight ahead of her, "Noir, not all of us can see in the dark like you and Blake" Weiss said loud enough for the ones leading them could hear, she then heard Noir call out. "Hey Metal Man, care to light up the place?"

Soon, the sound of clicking could be heard as he rotated his gauntlet to choose the correct dust. Soon, his armour began to glow with lines of white light, white dust powering his armour. With a quick gesture of his hand pointed upward, a glowing white glyph appeared above them, shining light and making it easier to see. Weiss quickly saw that what she was not squeezing someone's shoulder. She was squeezing Nora's breast. Quickly releasing her hand from the woman's chest as heat went to Weiss's face, making it a deep red. Nora just giggled and grinned. Weiss just walked past her quickly, Ren shaking his head simply. 

With Grau in the middle of the group, they walked down the tunnel, aware that they were going downwards, into the crust of the world. On the walls, Weiss could see dark patches every few feet. It looks like they were created by something rubbing up against them for a very long time. "What are these?" Weiss asked lightly as she examined one. Noir looked over at one and nodded. "That, is where a Grimm came from." Weiss shot a glance and shot him a glance. "Don't be stupid, we have no idea where Grimm come from, they wouldn't come from a _wall_ " 

Noir smirked and shrugged. "You're going to learn a lot of things hanging out with us, Snow Queen" Annoyance flashed though her face when he called her that. She had already slapped him for calling her sister 'Queen Bitch of Atlas', that went too far, Snow Queen and Ice Queen were close enough she suppose. 

"Right, lets have a lesson in Grimm studies while we're here" Noir said happily as he clapped his hands lightly. Nora groaned out with a tilt of her head to the ceiling. "But don't even go to school anymore!" She cried out. Grau patted her shoulder lightly. "You should always strive to learn" He said gently. Noir walked up to one of the dark patches and ran his finger along the length. "Now, we know that Grimm are attracted to negative feelings, but we don't know where they come from" He said pointing to Weiss. "Half of that is wrong" he said as they continued to walk. "We know half of where they come from" He said as they turned a corner and the group froze. 

In the wall, the head and the right claw of a Beowolf sticking out. Behind it was another black patch, but it wasn't as eroded as the last one. Stopping, they all watched as Noir walked up to the Grimm and noticed that it didn't move towards him. "Now, Grimm are formed when very certain conditions are met" He began as he placed his hand on the Grimm's head and leaned on it. Weiss flinched when she expected it to bite him, but it remained still. 

"One. The area needs to be pitch black" He then gestured around and nodded. "A place where the light and warmth will never reach...an old mine is the perfect place to set up. Two. No living creature with a soul can be near them when they start to form" He then gestured to the black patches on the walls. "This is the beginning stages of Grimm forming into the world, nature give way to Grimm and it begins to pull itself into the world" He then went back to the Beowolf and looked into its eyes. Its red eyes weren't glowing and it wasn't moving. 

"Three. There needs to be a source of pain and negativity for them to properly form" He then took a step back from the creature and spoke. "I might die and I will never see my girlfriend ever again" Noir spoke quietly, his face forming one of thoughtful sorrow. The Grimm's eyes began to glow red and it started to pull out of the wall slowly. Claws gave way to a hand and the neck started to form. The erosion happened quickly against the stone. Everyone pointed its weapons towards it. Suddenly, Noir stood up straight and smiled. "But she's a bitch and hits me lots, so I don't really mind" The glowing eyes faded and it returned to its dormancy. 

Weiss noticed that a few more of the patches at snouts and horns of Grimm starting to come out. They were in the middle of Grimm lair, any negative emotion could put them in very real danger. "This one was probably made when Amaranth and her group were walking by" Grau spoke up and Noir nodded. He then gestured to the head. "Do you mind?" He asked him with a small smile. Grau just walked up to the head and gripped it in both hand and began to turn it. Wet snaps and muscle being torn away echoed though the air as Weiss watched in horror as the armoured man twisted the Grimm's head off with ease. Handing it to Noir, he held it out and let the black blood drain from the head. The wall bleeding from the neck as the Grimm was killed before it could escape. 

"Thank you" Noir looked at the head and examined it before spinning it around and the lifeless eyes of the Grimm looked at them, the jaw hanging open. "Now, who can tell me what is wrong with this?" He asked while looking at all the young adults, they all looked at each other with confused looks on their faces. "Besides the part where you're holding a Grimm's head?" Noir just grinned a bit and turned the head around and held it up and examined this. "This would be a good trophy..." He said lightly. 

Weiss's eyes widen as something clicked in her mind. _Trophy._ Professor Port had Grimm heads on the wall, but they were never real. "The fact that you're holding a Grimm head is the problem" Weiss said slowly, Noir began to grin as he watched her. "Grimm fade away shortly after they die, but the head is still here, there's no sign of dissipation, its still there..." 

Noir then smiled and shook the head up and down, causing the jaw to open and close to match what he was about to say. "Ding ding ding" He smiled at her. "You win a prize" He said as he tossed the head at her. She caught it on reflex then dropped it when she realized what she just did, her hands were covered in the black slime that was a Grimm's blood. "So what does that mean?" Noir asked as Weiss rubbed the palms of her hands against the wall to try and scrape the gore off her pale skin. 

"Something is keeping them from dissipating down here" Ren said as he looked around. Noir nodded as he pulled his pistols out and turned. "That, is the Den Mother." The group continued down the stone corridor. Along the way, Weiss saw various different Grimm in different stages of being created. As they passed, each person made sure they were dead, either cutting their heads off or stabbing them. Or crushing their skulls in Nora's case. 

The deeper they got the warmer it became and it became increasingly harder to breath. Weiss was trying to wrap her head around why this hole was so deep when they discovered something truly horrible. It was a body, a human body. It had been sitting here for a very long time, its skin was shrivelled and brown, only a thin layer of skin over its bones. The clothing it wore looked like a miners, its eyeless face looking into its chest. Everyone was silent as they just stared at the long dead body. 

Suddenly, Noir tapped the wall with his gun and stared at the body. Weiss was confused for a second until a ragged breath came from the corpse. Slowly, so very slowly, it turned its head to them. The blood in her veins turned cold. Her heart stopped and her mind went blank. This person has been dead for well over eighty years, and it was looking straight at them. In its eyeless sockets, she could see tiny white dots. 

The only ones that weren't effected by the sight was Grau and Noir. Noir going so far as he crouch next to the dead man and turned his pistol into the bladed tonfa and placed the small end against its head. Pushing it deep into the skull, the dead let out a sigh of relief and the small white dots were gone. Standing back up, Noir looked at them. His face serious and his voice calm. "This is what Den Mothers do" He said as he looked down at the actually dead body. 

"They find those who are about to die and keep them alive, feeding off the pain and despair of a soul that cannot leave its body. Some ancient spell maybe, we still don't know. All we know is that the Den Mother needs to die, so these poor souls may finally know peace" Grau said as he gripped the handle of his great sword harder and the group continued on, walking past the dead. 

"How are they kept alive?" Blake asked, seemingly coming to terms with it faster than she had. "We don't know yet, we think its something to do with Den Mothers, but those have only shown up after the Great War according to the Brotherhood" Grau informed them. "The black marks is how they first came, but now a Den Mother makes it so they don't come from the cold blackness, they've begun to evolve" A shiver went down Weiss's spine, the fact that they were learning make the world so much colder. "So, the Grimm found a better way to kill us off while we were already doing that" Noir said before he raised his hand. 

They had come into the edge of the tunnel, Noir looked to Grau and nodded. Nodding back, he made more hand gestures and pointed up to the ceiling. Four large white glyphs cast away the darkness in the large chamber, revealing the horrors inside of it. 

Scattered across the floor, more human bodies, decayed to skin and bones, looking over at them with the white dots in the back of their eyeless sockets. Walking around them was several different Grimm, a few Beowolves, some Ursai, A few Boarbatusk filled in what was left. Behind them, a large ape-type looking grim looked towards them. It was holding its large body up on two large arms. Its forearms covered in thick white plate. Hanging above them was a large mass of black flesh. It looked like some kind of massive, disgusting spider with a massive, pulsating sack on its back. 

Unsure if it was triggered by the intrusion, or by the amount of fear coming from the group, the sack began to twitch and a few forms began to come out of it. A few tiny Beowolves, no larger then a small child landed on the ground and quickly go to its feet and let out a tiny roar. 

Snapping out of it, practised instinct over came primal fear and Weiss spun the dust canisters and got a glyph ready. Blake pulled the blade out and got the sheath in her other hand. Noir pointed his guns out and eyed them up. Grau spun his great sword and it opened up into his double edge staff. Ren followed Noir position and aimed at several different Grimm at the same time and Nora formed her hammer into a grenade launcher and aimed at the sack. She fired a couple of rounds into the creature and all the Grimm charged at them. 

Most of them were cut down from the hail of gun fire coming out of multiple firearms. Only when they got close did Grau and Weiss use their blades and glyphs to protect the others as they continued to shot them. It was only after most of the others were dead, the large ape-like one charged at them. "Watch the Mother Guard!" Noir said as they all jumped out of the way. 

It stopped against the wall and roared at them and jump towards Weiss. She was too slow to make a glyph, but one showed up under her feet, helping her jump over the Guard. Looking over, she saw Grau with his hand towards her before stomping on one of the child Beowolf. It was Nora and Ren that confronted the beast next. Ren using his quick movements to dodge and counter its swings while Nora came around and slammed it against a wall. Using Ren as a step, Nora leapt into the air and brought her hammer down on its head, turning it into something that resembled black strawberry jam. 

With all the rest of the Grimm easily dealt with, Noir nodded and pointed up at the Mother. "Give it everything you have!" He shouted as everyone opened up into it. Spurts of black liquid began to come though the holes that were made. It let out a terrible cry as it stopped pulsing and moving. Everyone lowered their weapons and Noir nodded. "Good job everyone" He said as the dead around them finally had rest. "Instead of coming from the walls, they are birthed from Den Mothers now as children, they mature fast and are ready to hunt within a couple of weeks, faster if there's a steady supply of bad feelings. Being this far away from the city meant these poor souls were their only source of dark emotion, probably starved as all hell" He said as he looked at all of them. "let's get the hell outta here, I've had enough of this place" Noir said as everyone began to turn around. 

Suddenly he yelped and Weiss turned around. Seeing Noir had some kind of black vine wrapped around his body and was hoisted up into the air. He was then forced into the sack, his yell cut off short. "Noir!" Grau shouted as he readied another glyph. Suddenly, Nora was there with the second form of her Magnhild and fired all the canisters into the creature, resulting in it explosion ending in a pink heart. Noir fell to the ground in a pile of black goo. 

Groaning as he got to his feet, he looked over at everyone and sighed. "Yep. I've had enough for today..." He said tiredly as they stared at him. 

"You going to be okay for the walk home?" Grau asked and Noir looked up at him. Noir reached up and grabbed his beannie off his head and shook it hard to get as much slime as he could before putting it back. "You know, for as disgustingly slimy this is...its surprisingly warm" He said as he walked towards them. They all took a step back as the smell hit them, causing Nora to gag loudly. "You stay behind us..." Weiss said as they began to file their way out of the dark cave. "And down wind" Blake added with a small smile.

Reaching the white snow and the sunlight, Weiss took a deep breath and relaxed a bit. Her white combat skirt had been soiled with the back slime of Grimm blood. Looking at everyone, they all had splatters of blackness on their clothing. With the sudden stench of rotten food and sulfur, she looked back and saw Noir walk out awkwardly. Walking down the same path they took to get there, Blake moved closer to her and they smiled at eachother. "You okay?" She asked. 

Weiss nodded lightly. "A little shaken, but I'll be okay." She said as they walked. Another bout of silence before Blake spoke up. "We can't let Yang know about Ruby" 

"What? why?" 

"Because, she'll blame herself more than she already has, its bad enough that she's trying to rush though her rehabilitation, cutting it from two weeks to three days-"

"Three days? That's insane" 

"I know, but I can't stop her. If we tell her that Ruby's loosing it, she'll rush out immediately and try to punch something" 

Weiss knew she was right, she felt bad for not tell Yang about her younger sisters problem, but it would be for the best for now. "Okay, but as soon as Yang is ready, she needs to know" With an agreeing nod, Blake looked back at Noir, who was leaving a black trail behind them. "Besides, I think we're all going to have nightmares after this..." 

Weiss knew that was true as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading and feed back is always welcome.


	20. Where the heart Is

Ruby spent the rest of the day with Jaune, Krimson and her father doing light sparring. Krimson teaching her some advanced scythe techniques that she had no idea how to even attempt them, and Jaune was being taught how to properly utilize his shield in the middle of battle, something which he was bad at. Even with Krimson showing her slowly, she was having trouble keeping up with what he was trying to teach her. Despite how young he looked, he was truly a master at wielding the massive weapon. Saying that, she did manage to teach him a few things as well. 

"How about it Krimson?" Taiyang suddenly spoke up. "How about a duel?" He said with a small smile as him and Jaune took a break, for the last couple of minutes, Krimson and Ruby were just twirling their scythes around their bodies, trying not to hit each other or their weapons, it took an all of her concentration not to mess up, they had to keep the timing just right. Slowing down for a break, Krimson pulled the collar of his cloak down and looked at him. "You sure you're up for it? I don't want to have an unfair advantage" He said with a small smile. 

Taiyang shrugged slightly as he stretched his arms out a bit and began to walk towards him. "I don't mind, we've been practising for a few hours now and I'm itching for some action. My Aura has recovered and I think I need the practice, seeing how I was easily overwhelmed when the White Fang came" Krimson nodded slightly as he pulled out his scroll and began to go through the different options before tossing it to Taiyang, who did the same. Tossing it back, Krimson gave it to Ruby. "Keep score, please" He said lightly as the two walked to the middle of the floor, Ruby and Jaune sitting on a bench. Looking at the scroll, it had a dark red and black where it was usually white and gold, a custom shell on it. Looking on the screen, she could see the Aura levels of both Krimson and her father. 

Taking up positions from each other, Taiyang held his fists up to get ready, a stance similar to Yang's, which came to no surprise since it was him who taught her how to fight. Krimson held his scythe behind him, scythe blade touching the ground, his stretched arms out behind him, his hands holding it loosely. They were staring each other down for a few seconds before Taiyang looked over at her. "We're ready if you are" 

"O-oh" Ruby looked down at the scroll once again and looked back up. "uh...go?" 

At her go ahead, Taiyang quickly closed the gap between them and went for a quick right jab with his bladed gauntlet. Krimson simply jumped back a bit to dodge out of the way, but Taiyang leapt forward with his left, hoping for an early hit while Krimson was still in the air. Swinging his scythe from behind him, he quickly knocked Taiyang's hand away and used the momentum from the heavy blade to twist in the air, landing to the side of him. Her father came around with a kick to the head, only for it to be stopped by the shaft. Twisting, Taiyang carried on with his other foot, connecting to Krimson's head. 

"Go Dad!" Ruby yelled out with a grin on her face.

Krimson rolled with it and threw his scythe around and managed to connect with the back of his blade into Taiyang's side. Making some space between them, Taiyang smiled as he stretched his side out and nodded. "Good hit" He said as he took up his stance again. Krimson nodded simply, running his hand though his black tipped red hair and pulled the collar over his nose. This time, Krimson made the first move with an overhead slash, Taiyang jumped backwards to avoid it, making the blade cut into the floor, but Ruby saw Krimson do something she didn't expect. When it stuck into the ground, it was sharp enough to continue going. Krimson leapt into the air as the weapon came back up and around, used a shot from the heavy shotgun inside the blade and make it swing down faster than last time. 

Taiyang was too slow to jump again, so he brought both of his hands up to block, causing him to fall backwards, but was back up almost immediately, but was caught in the side by the back of Krimson's scythe. Taking the hit, Taiyang gripped the shaft and ran inside of his guard and delivered a strong punch. The two of them continued to trade blows, Ruby keeping an eye on the aura levels so as they don't accidentally hurt each other too much. 

Taking deep breaths, the two of them began to circle each other. "You're good" Taiyang said with a smile. "Qrow'd be jealous of your scythe skills" He said with a smile. Krimson nodded as he stopped and and looked at him. "You are too, I can see why your daughters are such good hunters" Krimson slowly began to swing his scythe around his body, before holding it in the same position as he started the match in, this time the blade was up. "But I'm afraid that I've learned the beat of your soul, the match is over now" Krimson said as he squeezed a trigger on the shaft and the blade slowly shifted to facing up to touching the ground. 

Taiyang grinned and leapt forward to punch, but missed when Krimson suddenly moved to the side. The same with Cinder, the red man began to move and dance inside of Taiyang's guard, dodging all of his attacks with the skill of a man who has practised this delicate dance for a decade. No matter what Taiyang did, he could not land a hit. Suddenly, Krimson swung his scythe over his shoulder as soon as Taiyang tried for an elbow, causing flesh to meet steel. Ruby grimaced as she watched her father cry out in pain and grab his joint, he just smashed his funny bone against the heavy scythe. 

"Its only funny to those around to watch it, thats why its called a funny bone" Krimson said as her father was rubbing his arm, trying to stop the pain. Suddenly, Taang, was at the door, he poked his head in and called to them. "They have returned, they are crossing the lake now." He said before ducking away. Krimson looked at her father and extended his hand to him. "Call it a draw?" Taiyang nodded and accepted the terms. Looking down at the scroll, she saw that Krimson was leading my a margin when they called it. Handing the red scroll back to him, they walked back to the main lobby to meet up with everyone.

Walking to the lobby, Ruby saw Yang and gave her a smile as she stood next to her older sister. "Hey, what have you been up to?" She asked with a smile. "Been getting back into my workout routine" Yang smiled as she lifted her mechanical arm up and grinned. "Turns out, I can lift enough weight to make Nora jealous" Ruby smiled and gave Yang a hug, it was good to see her smiling again, not like when they came back from Patch. 

When the door opened, the first one to enter was Grau. His usually pristine white and silver armour was splattered with dried black goo. Next was Nora and Ren. Equally splattered with the same black ooze. Weiss and Blake walked in and smiled at them. Ruby smiled back with a wave, she was wondering what they were all covered in when they all moved away from the door as Noir walked in. Smelling like something that had been dead for a very long time, he walked in awkwardly, covered head to toe in the foul smelling black ooze. 

"What. The hell happened..." Krimson asked slowly looking at Noir. The wolf Faunus just put a finger up to speak. "I. Am going to take a shower. Then. And only then. After I've scrubbed every inch of my body of this shit. Am I going to talk to you" Ruby shuddered at the image that just popped into her head as Noir began to waddle down the hallway towards the locker room. Krimson just sighed heavily and looked at everyone. "Hit the showers, I'll get a report from you afterwards then..." He then turned to Ruby and Jaune. "You as well, you worked hard, get cleaned up" He said as he walked away, shaking his head as Noir left a trail of black footprints down the hall. "I'll be converting the maintenance room into a workshop, just in case" Grau said as he began to walk towards that direction.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Everyone split up to get cleaned up, Jaune was making his way to the locker room, he stopped when he heard the rough accent of Noir booming from the room, obviously trying to sing. Either that or he was drowning in a musical fashion. Getting nervous with someone else was already in there, he went to back out and just use the shower in his bedroom, this one was just closer, when he nearly ran over Ren and Krimson, each holding a small bag of toiletries for themselves. 

"Where you going?" Krimson asked as both Ren and Kimson looked at him oddly, wondering why he would suddenly turn around like that. "I forgot my stuff in my room" 

"You didn't bring any stuff...you said you forgot it the second day after we picked up Ruby, you've been borrowing my stuff..." Ren said as he pulled out his own bottle of shower gel. _Right. Can't lie in front of Ren, he knows everything._ With a defeated sigh, Jaune turned around and walked further into the locker room, remembering what it was like when Cardin Winchester locked in him a locker and sent him somewhere.

Walking past the lockers, Jaune choose one near the end and opened it. Seeing a clean towel, he began to take off his armour and clothing, neatly placing them inside. Getting down to his boxers, he wrapped a towel around his waist and looked over. Ren was already in a towel and Kimson was still undoing the many buttons he had on his outfit. "Noir! Will you shut up?" Krimson asked after he finally got his cloak off. He noticed that it was a lot like Ruby's, except it didn't have a hood, just a really long collar. At end of it was torn and had holes in it, meaning he had been wearing it for a long time. 

"Call the cops, Big Red!" Noir shouted back from area with the shower heads. Ren moved towards the showers, if he was nervous about being naked around others, he didn't show it on his face. Slowly, he made his way to the shower, taking the one nearest to the door. He could feel his face was as red as Krimson's choice of clothing. He set the towel on a waiting hook and turned on the water, his hands covering himself. 

"Why so nervous, Sword-and-Board?" Noir's voice echoed though the room suddenly. Jaune was caught off guard and nearly slipped across the tile floor, but managed to maintain his balance dispute his hands. "You look like you've never been in a room full of naked men before" 

"Ah...well..."

Noir began to laugh with a large, wolfish grin of his face. Krimon's voice echoed from the lockers. "Noir, be nice" He warned. 

"Alright. Rule one: Eyes never drop below the chest" Noir gestured with his hand, starting from above his stomach and up to his head. Jaune noticed a very large, angry red scar that ran from his right shoulder down to his left hip. It was a single, sharp, clean cut. His attention was drawn back to Noir's wet face, his hair flat against his head and wolf ears stood straight up. 

"Two: Don't make eye contact...it just makes things awkward for everyone" He said as he waved his hand slightly as he turned around and put his head under the water. "Three: We only have manly conversations here. About man-things, and women, and weapons, and blood" He then paused for a moment. "Or who our crushes are and then we'll all do our hair, and paint our nails, and have pillow fights!" The more he spoke, the more high pitched and girly his voice became. Bringing a small smile to the blond's face as he showered. 

As Noir turned around, Jaune saw that his back was covered in black ink. Along the back of his shoulders, words in a scroll could be read. _"Wrong side of Heaven"_ Under it, was a woman in a white dress with demonic wings, in her hands, she held two King Taijitu Grimm by their white heads, the bodies moving down his arms where the black heads curved around his arms and back towards his spine. Below her, more words were tattooed into his skin. _"Righteous side of hell"_

Concentrating on his shower, he poured some shampoo into his hands and began to wash his hair as Noir continued to badly sing. Eventually, Jaune spoke up. "What made you become a Hunter, Noir?" He asked him. Noir stopped singing and stopped his movements for a moment, enough for Jaune to notice that he didn't want to talk about it, but he put his happy voice back up and shrugged. "Well, I had a knack for controlling my Aura, and the man who raised me put me forth through combat school and into Shade Academy" He then silent for a few moments before speaking again. "I dropped out my second year at Shade to devote my life to one last Hunt, for a man who took everything from me" 

There was a silence that hung in the air, which was broken when Noir turned to him. "What about you, why did you become a hunter?" He asked him. Jaune just shrugged. "I wanted to help people, I wanted to be a hero" At that, Noir just scoffed and turned off his shower with a punch to the tap. He then turned and left, shaking his head. "Don't try to be a hero, Kid" He said simply as he walked to the locker room, taking a towel that was hung on the rack nearby. "This world doesn't need heroes right now" He said as he wrapped a towel around his waist, Jaune lost sight of the man as he continued to speak. "The only thing heroes do is die for their cause, leaving behind a world that they saved but never could see. Only leaving behind the people they loved, the world never the same without them-"

"Noir!" Krimon's voice cut though the air, stopping Noir's negative ramble. Jaune's mind went to Pyrrha. She was dead. She died to protect him. He stared down at the drain between his feet, the world seemed colder without her here. Her smile, her green eyes, her red hair, everything about her that he loved, now it was dust at the top of a tower, according to Ruby. He was brought out of his train of though when he felt a hand on his bare shoulder, looking up, he saw Krimson with his silver eyes looking at him. He gave him a light nod before choosing a shower. "He lets his mouth run loose too often, don't mind him" He said as he turned it on and adjusted the heat. Jaune just nodded slowly as Noir piped up once again. 

"Who the hell keeps punching the walls in this bloody place?" 

\-------------------------------------------

"And there we were, surrounded by seventeen Beowolves" 

Krimson looked over to Ren, who was sitting to the left of Nora. 

"It was seven" He corrected her. 

"All around us, the dead looked like they had been there for hundreds of years" 

Krimson then looked to Nora's right, where Noir had been sitting. He was leaning back in his seat, the front legs hovering off the ground. His hand was covering his eyes, trying to will the headache back from his brain and back to Nora, who was causing it by giving her own description on what happened that day. "I'd guess between sixty to seventy years" Noir corrected her as the redhead continued.

"And then we fought a new type of Grimm, I call it, a Gurrotank!" 

"I believe Noir called it a Mother Guard" Ren said gently. 

"Yeah! I did" Noir then fell forward, letting the chair land back with a loud noise. "Were you even paying attention during that battle?" He asked her as he leaned onto the table and looked up at her, the pure look of stupefaction made Krimson sigh again. 

"And then Noir got pulled into the Mother and I _exploded_ him to safety!" Nora then made exploding noises as Krimson looked over at Ren for a translation, but it was Noir that spoke up. "Tha- Yeah no, that actually happened..." With the seventh heavy sigh, Krimson nodded to them. "Thank you, you can all rest now..." Krimson said as they all got up and left the library. 

Sending the report to the headmaster of Haven academy, and by extension, the Inner Circle, he decided to use the report from the others while adding that he had the Winter Maiden with him. He then finished his report and got up to go and eat dinner. The sun had set a number of hours ago, unsurprisingly since they were in the middle of winter. 

Making his way to the dinning hall, a smile crept over his face as he saw everyone there. Talking, a few shots of laughter as Taiyang was walking around handing out food to everyone. He seemed more than happy to cook tonight, more for his daughters than anything else. Taking a seat next to Taang, he smiled at the big man as Taiyang walked around and nodded to him. "I'll get that rematch out of you some day" He said as he smirked and gave him a plate of spaghetti. "I'll be waiting" Krimson with as he began to eat. That night, the lodge was warmer than it had been in a long time. 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

_No matter how far Weiss ran, the dead always caught up to her. Though the maze of stone, she passed many Grimm as they tried to get her though the walls of the maze. Hitting a dead end, she turned around and tried to run, only to be stopped by a dead man. It reached out suddenly and grabbed her throat, pulling her closer, its dead mouth opened, the black pits of its eyes with small white dots starting at her, and began to suck away her soul. Taking away the warmth from her body and replacing it with cold dread._

Waking up with a jolt, a pain suddenly shot through her head as it collided with something thick. Rubbing it with a groan, she looked around in the darkness and saw Ruby Rose, mirroring the motion of rubbing her head with her hand. "Ruby, what are you doing?" Weiss hissed as she looked at the red girl, a surprised squeak escaped her lips as she looked up at Weiss, who had an annoyed look on her face. 

"I'm sorry Weiss" She said quickly, her face quickly becoming red, despite the darkness, she could see her face quickly get a deeper shade of red the longer she sat there and stared at her, trying to think of an excuse to why she sneaked into her room and pulled the blanket off of her. "I- uh...just wanted- to...uh" She stammered out. Weiss rolled her eyes, despite this, Ruby really was cute, down right adorable if she was being honest. 

"If...you know...wanted to sleep...together again" Weiss just raised her eyebrow and folded her arms over her chest. "Excuse me?" 

She then squeaked out and waved her hands defensible. "NO! Not like that, just in the same bed, like last time!" Ruby quickly spat out. Weiss was about to tell her no, when a cold chill went up her spine. The face of the dead person crept into her mind. She then looked at the pleading Ruby and sighed. "Fine..." She groaned out. The small scythe wielder quickly jumped next to her and laid down, pulling the blankets over them. 

Ruby quickly wrapped her arms around her and settled her head on Weiss's shoulder. "Thanks" She said gently. "Its just hard to sleep lately..." Weiss just nodded gently and wrapped her arms around the girl. "Its okay, lets just go to sleep" She said gently. Within a few minutes, Ruby was fast asleep while Weiss was contemplating how such a small girl had such a hard grip around the heiress. Her eyes grew heavy as the scent of strawberries drifted into her nose. 

The dead stayed dead while her mind was filled with strawberries and roses, and of a girl with silver eyes named Ruby Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading my story. Sorry it took a bit longer to put this chapter up. Thank you to everyone who read and left Kudos and bookmarks, it means a lot to me to see people liking my story so much. As always, feed back is always welcome.


	21. Back to Basics

Yang was pulled from her peaceful sleep by the annoying beeping that her scroll was giving off on her nightstand table. With a groan, she turned to her side and began to slap her hand around the table, trying to find her device with her eyes closed. Finding it, she thumbed one of the side buttons, silencing it. With a smile, she laid on her back and tried to fall back asleep, only to be stirred back by the beeping. Slapping her hand around again, she forced the scroll back to silence, only for it to beep once again. Letting her temper get the better of her, she slapped her hand on the table, and heard the wood crack and splinter.

Opening her eyes, she looked over at the table, the light of the scroll illuminating her metal fist as it was pressed against the wood. Pulling back, she saw a solid dent on the top of it and sighed. Forgetting that she has a metal arm is a good thing, it means that she's gradually getting used to the weight and the feeling of it, the bad part is that she keeps forgetting that she has a metal arm, a playful slap might end up in a hospital trip if she's not careful. With a heavy sigh, she turned her alarm off and slowly sat up in bed, getting a whine from Zwei as she inadvertently shifted him ever so slightly. 

Swinging her feet over the edge of the bed, she shivered lightly from the cold in her room before stretching her arms and back, getting satisfying pops and cracks with a yawn from her mouth. Only after did she realise that she couldn't stretch out her mechanical arm, she just did it out of habit. She never really paid attention to the things she did out of habit before getting her arm replaced. Like trying to chew her nails, only to bite into metal, or cracking her knuckles. She almost broke her real fingers by lacing them together before. 

Walking to the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom that she had taken, she turned on the water and washed her face with some cold water, washing away the last bits of sleep from her system. Looking at herself in the mirror, she gently reached down and lifted her orange tank top to expose her stomach. With her flesh hand, she grabbed a bit of fat on her stomach and sighed a bit with a tug of the skin. Only a thin layer of fat formed on her otherwise perfectly athletic body, though it wasn't much, it reminded her of the entire month she spent doing nothing but sitting in her bed, hating herself while Ruby actually did something. She was going to turn it into new muscle to help her baby sister out as she tries to save the world. 

Looking into her own lilac eyes, she took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom and changed into some workout clothing, which wasn't much different from her sleep wear. Black boy shorts and a fitting, bright yellow tank top. On her left side was her burning hear. After a final tussle of her golden hair, settling it into its perfect messiness, she walked to the door and turned off the light. "Be good" She told Zwei, who had taken her spot on the bed, since it was warm. His ears simply wiggled in response as she opened the door, and nearly bumped right into Blake Belladonna. 

"Oh, morning Yang" She said with a raised eyebrow. "What are you doing up so early? You're usually the last one out of bed. Even then we usually have to bribe you with bacon..." 

Yang shrugged gently with a smirk. "I thought I'd start off the day with a _Yang_ "

Blake just stared at her with tried, dead eyes. "Its to early to deal with you..." She said deadpan and walked past her to her bedroom. 

"Why are you up so early, and fully dressed?" Yang asked as she watched her partner open her door and looked back. "Krimson wanted two people to do watches though the night, just in case something happens, I'm just getting back from third watch" Blake said gently. 

"Who'd you get paired with?" 

To answer her question, a man quickly ran around the corner and stared at them. "Who made a fucken pun?" Noir asked with his rough accent. 

"Wow, that sucks" Yang said simply as the two women just stared at the wolf faunus. He was dressed in his usual garb of a black and white plaid shirt, the sleeves rolled up just below his elbows, faded grey jeans with knee pads and his pistols in their thigh holsters, his knit cap hiding his wolf ears and black hair. 

Blake just mumbled something and walked into her room before closing the door. Yang just walked past him and he made a gesture with his hands. _I'll be watching you_. Yang just rolled her eyes and continued down the hall towards the fitness room, she had work to do before breakfast. 

When she arrived, she turned on the lights and began to walk between the different machines, deciding which to use for the day. Starting with some squats, she quickly rotated around the various machines to get a full body workout. Covered in sweat, she moved onto the treadmill to finish off. While she was running, she looked over her shoulder and saw Ruby poke her head in and smiled. "There you are" She said as he walked towards her and smiled. "Dad made breakfast" She said simply as she watched Yang run for a bit. 

"Thanks Rubes" She said with a smile as she jumped off and ruffled her sisters hair. Panic rushed though her mind as she ruffled her sister's hair with her metal hand, before she could pull back, she slapped her sister's head with her palm, making Ruby wince lightly and pull away. "Ow, Yang!" She cried out as she rubbed her head lightly. 

"Oh shit! I'm so sorry Ruby!" Yang said as she went to reach out, making sure it was her left hand, and gently placed it on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" 

After a few silent seconds, Ruby nodded lightly. "Yeah..." She looked up at her older sister and smiled gently. "I know it was an accident" She said with a forced smile though tear brimmed silver eyes. 

"I'm trying Ruby, I really am" Yang said gently as she looked at her. 

"I know" She said gently as wiped her eyes and nodded. "You're getting better though, right? I mean, you probably could have put me though the floor" She nervously laughed. 

Smiling, Yang pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head, where she hit her accidentally. She realised that she didn't have to reach so far to reach the top of her head, her baby sister had gotten taller since last Yang remembered. "I just remembered!" Yang said as she looked at her sister. "You turned sixteen while you were away..." 

Ruby giggled lightly and released herself from her sister. "Yeah, I did" 

"I'm so sorry Ruby!" 

"Its okay, Yang. I know and dad had other things on your minds when my birthday rolled around" 

"Still, that's no excuse. We missed your sweet sixteen, I didn't get you anything..." 

"Its okay, Yang. Really." Ruby said with a smile. Yang hugged her sister once more, a bit tighter before releasing her. "I'll get you something next time we're in the city" Yang said as she walked out of the room with her sister. "Whatever you want" 

The red girl beamed as her mind began to fill with all the things she wanted and couldn't decide on what. "Think dad will try and give me that talk again?" Ruby asked, Yang laughed and nodded. 

"Probably, we remember the last time he tried that right?" The two sister laughed at the memory as they left. Yang leaving Ruby to shower in the locker room that was closer than her bedroom. After washing the sweat off her body, she joined everyone else for breakfast. 

\------------------------------------------------------------

During breakfast, a few playful arguments broke out between members of team RWBY and what was left of team JNPR over who would win against who if they came down to it in the Vytal festival, eventually it turned into a day of practice and sparring for the Hunters and Huntresses-in-training. Being refereed by Krimson, pairings were made up quickly and was put up after breakfast. Noir, who finally got up thanks to Nora, began a small betting pool with the other members of Team KNGT and Taiyang. The fights matched up perfectly to pit RWBY against JNPR since Yang was forced to sit out on a bench in the gym. 

Yang watched as her sister was put up against Jaune in the first round. She easily overcame the flailing blond using her speed to her advantage. He managed to get a few hits on her, predicting where she was going to be last minute, but it was not enough to stop her. Using the wall as a spring board, she shot straight at Jaune and sent him flying. Krimson called the match shortly afterwards. 

The next match up was Weiss and Nora. The match only lasted a few short minutes after the Ice Queen froze Nora to the ground and repeatedly poked her in the side with her rapier. Making Nora laugh uncontrollably, stopping her from concentrating long enough to break the ice under her own inhuman strength. 

With Blake and Ren, it was actually a really close match. Each one was using quick combos to try and get early hits before moving to defend against the combo that came afterwards. Ren won by anticipating where Blake was going to use one of her clones and kicking her right in the chest. Watching Blake get beaten like that made Yang twitchy. She wanted to be out there, fighting someone. Instead of sitting here and itching a metal arm that wasn't supposed to be itchy but was for some bizarre reason. Seeing this, the doctor looked over at her and raised and eyebrow. "Come on, Doc. You said yourself that I'm way further along that anyone else should be..." She pleaded with the man in the white coat. 

Looking over his large scroll, he began to tap a few things and took a deep breath. Peering over to Krimson, who was listening in on the conversation, raised an eyebrow. "I suppose some light sparring would do some good" With a grin. Yang jumped out of her seat on the bench and walked to the middle of the gym and put her hands on her hips. "Alright Yang, pick your opponent..." Krimson said as he put her into his scroll to track her Aura. 

With a grin, she pointed at Noir with her metal hand menacingly. "You" With a smirk and a shrug, he got out of his seat and walked to the middle next to her. "Don't get mad at me when Kitty Cat is upset about your bruises, Blondie" Noir said as he checked over his weapon. 

"Stop. Calling. Us. That" Yang growled. 

"Make me-" When he looked up from his weapons, all he saw was a yellow and black fist being thrown right into his face. Causing him to be thrown across the room and against the far wall. Sticking there for a few moments from the impact alone, he slid to the ground and landed face first on the polished hard wood floors. Everyone watched in silence as Yang just punched another living being into a wall in a fraction of a second. The silence broken by Krimson calling out to him. "Still alive, buddy?" 

Wordlessly, Noir lifted his hand over his head and held a thumbs up before it landed back on the ground with a thud. "He's fine." Krimson decided as he looked over at doctor who had his hand over his face and shook his head. "What part of that was _light?_ Ms. Xiao Long?" He asked her. 

Yang shrugged and smirked. "It was a love tap..." She then turned back to Noir's crumpled body and flexed her metal arm and slapped her left hand on her bicep. "Told you I was _armed_ and dangerous now." A choir of groans erupted from the benches and Noir simply lifted his hand above his head again and extended the middle finger towards her general direction before falling to the ground. With her trademark grin, she looked back to everyone at the benches and waved a hand. "Who's next?" Yang asked.

"I will be your partner, Yang Xiao Long" She watched as Taang got out of his seat and walked towards her. The left half of his torso exposed from his outfit. He tightened the silk belt around his stomach of his yellow and black shirt, drawing the right sleeve back to expose his bronze fist. He adjusted his black pants gently as he motioned to her. His right hand was straighten out and placed on top of his left fist. Obviously some kind of gesture from wherever he came from, she just nodded to him as she took up a position across from him. Doing the same, Taang took his position, both of their stances were different, Yang a brawler and Taang a martial artist, they both watched each other for a few moments before Yang made the first move. 

Using Ember Celica, Yang threw herself across the small distance between them and threw a hard right punch, she could feel the difference in the weight of her throws now, and this was the only way she was going to get used to such a strange sensation now. Her metal fist connected with Taang's bronze gauntlet, he easily deflected it, anticipating her to act first. She quickly followed up with a sharp left, and another right. Blocking and countering, he jabbed forward with his left and spun for a low kick. 

Taang was doing a good job at using the reach of his legs to his advantaged against her. She could barely get any hits in because of it, but when he tried for a left thrust, she ducked into his guard and used her weapon to lay into him hard. Quickly moving to the side, he caught her punch on his right bicep and jumped out of the way quickly. With a grin, Yang stood up and smashed her fists together tauntingly. Taang flexed his arm out slightly before pulling his right sleeve back and threw his arms to his sides, they opened up and released the chains hidden inside, falling onto the ground with heavy clunks. He began to swing them around quickly, wrapping them along his arms, covering from above his metal gauntlets all the way to his shoulders. Getting into a new stance, he charged towards her and started swinging at her, quickly dodging and countering her attacks as she did the same. 

At some point, Noir managed to get off of the floor and brought himself next to Taiyang as the benches cheered on Yang in her fight against Taang. "I blacked out for a bit, hows the fight going?" Noir as he rubbed his jaw gently, trying to put his bone back into place. 

"I didn't think Yang would get this used to her new arm so quickly..." He said as the two of them continued their bout. With the chains covering his arms, Taang constantly pushed into Yang, forcing her to defend a series of palm strikes before she ducked and glanced an uppercut off his chin. Jumping to offence, Yang attacked him with a series of hard punches that got blocked by metal chain on Taang's biceps. After a few more good hits from Taang, Yang gritted her teeth as her golden hair began to glow, and her aura burned brightly around her. "Oh...here we go..." Taiyang said as he watched her. "When she gets like this, she's an unstoppable force of nature" 

Noir nodded lightly as he folded his arms over his chest. "Well then, lets see what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable wall" 

Watching her semblance start to form, Taang shrugged his shoulders and the chains dropped from his arms, pooling around his feet. Yang charged at him and Taang met this with a hard kick. She blocked it and tried for another punch, but was knocked aside from his chain that quickly swung around his leg. Starting from below his knee, the chain wrapped around and stopped at his ankle, the chain hung from his wrist and was still loose enough to give him his full range of motion. 

With another kick, he wrapped the chain around his other leg and the fight continued. Using his legs more, he flipped and kicked her several times, each time, she blocked using her gauntlets and went for a strong punch. Blocking the punch, he wrapped the loose chain around her wrist and stomped on the ground, pulling her off balance and opened her up to several hard punches to her head. Aiming Ember Celica, she shot Taang in the stomach several times before he released her. With those punches, her semblance was in full effect, her eyes were deep red and her teeth were clenched together. Getting away form him, she jerked her arms and loaded another shell into the chamber and got ready for a massive strike against him. 

Seeing this, Taang prepared by changing his stance once more. The scars on his body began to glow slowly covering him in a gentle glow that grew more intense the more his scars glowed. He took a step back, making the room shake with each step. Suddenly, Yang charged at him, full blast coming from her weapons, reaching back, she threw all her weight into her right fist as Taang brought his fist to meet hers. When the two powerful auras met, it sent out a shock wave that caught everyone by surprise. 

Yang's wall of rage was stopped suddenly, while Taang was pushed back by a few inches. They held their positions as metal scraped metal and Yang turned to bring the back of her fist down on the man, who blocked it with his other fist. He was about drive her into the ground with a heavy hook when Krimson called out to them.  
"Stop!" He shouted at them as he got onto his feet and looked at his scroll. It was beeping and he didn't look happy about it. 

Slowly, their glowing bodies began to die down, Yang noticed that when he walked again, the room wasn't shaking under his feet, and when she punched him with all of her strength, she barely moved him a foot. Mentally working out that his semblance had something to do with becoming heavier the brighter he got. His chains went back to his gauntlets as they made their way to Krimson who had hit a button on his scroll and a voice filled the silent room. 

From Krimson's scroll, the sound of an older woman echoed in the room. _"Krimson...I need your help"_

"To what do I owe this honour, lady Blackwood" Krimson said into his scroll as everyone turned to him and listened to the conversation. 

_"A large group of Grimm are attacking a caravan of Vale refugees that were on their way to a smaller city nearby"_

"Didn't you send Hunters with them?"

 _"We did, but the Grimm numbers were too large for them. Please, they need your help. You and your team are the closest Hunters to them, it if we sent any from the city, they would only be there to collect bodies."_

"Where" 

_"I'll send it to you, please hurry Krimson. I know you are busy tracking Cinder Fall, but these are innocent people"_

Krimson just ended the call and looked at the location. "Everyone get ready, we need to save some people" Everyone got to their feet and ran though the halls. Ruby quickly running though halls and pulled Bleu from his room sent him running. "How much time do you need" Krimson asked as everyone gathered around. 

"Fifteen minutes" Bleu said as he ran out the door and towards the aircraft. Krimson shook his head lightly. "Not fast enough, a team of four will use the snow vehicles and the rest will take the airship" Krimson then began to give out orders when Amaranth, the Winter Maiden came running down the halls. "Let me come with you, I can help"

"No" Krimson said harshly as Grau and Taang went to get the snow vehicles and bring them to the front. "Its too dangerous for you" 

"But there are people in danger-" The woman was cut off by Krimson as he looked at her. 

"Somehow, someway, Cinder found the Fall Maiden, if she managed that, she could find you. This could be a trap to lure you out into the open" The vehicles came around and everyone gathered around. The Maiden looking down at the ground. 

Yang ran up to Krimson and looked him straight in his silver eyes. "I can go, I can fight" She said staring into them. He narrowed his eyes and looked over at Ruby. Looking between her and Krimson, Ruby nodded and Krimson looked back at Yang and nodded lightly. "I need someone to stay with the Maiden" Krimson said as everyone walked outside. 

"I'll stay, I'm pretty sure I'm still bleeding internally" Noir said as he waved them off. "Have fun storming the castle!" He called out to them as Krimson got on behind Taang and Yang got on behind Grau. 

"I can get there faster than you guys" Ruby said as she pulled her hood over her head and Krimson pointed in a direction. "That way, we'll be right behind you" With a nod, Yang watched her sister disappear in a flash of red rose petals, off to save people. Everyone else ran into the airship and waited for it to go off after the plan was made. 

Blake came over to her side and placed a hand on her shoulder, Yang looked over and nodded to her. "You sure you're going to be okay?" Blake asked gently. Yang just grinned and nodded. 

"As long as you don't run away when my back is turned again" She said with a smile. Blake nodded and held her hand for a moment before running to Weiss and the rest as they got into the Airship. 

Yang held onto Grau's armour and the two vehicles followed the trail of red made by Ruby, speeding off into the snow, past the trees and over mounds formed by wind. In the back of her mind, she could never shake the feeling of Ruby being there all alone, but if anyone could get there and save people. It would be Ruby Rose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading the newest chapter. I'm not too sure if I'm good at fight scenes so I hope it makes sense when you read it. Thank you to everyone who left comments and Kudos previously, it really means a lot. As always, thank you for taking the time to read and all feedback is welcome.


	22. How to write a fairy Tale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an important question at the end of this chapter, please read!

The snow crunched under her red and black boots as Ruby ran though the forest. Her Semblance leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake as she sped off towards where the Grimm were attacking people. It was so hard to explain to people what happens when she uses her Semblance to speed everywhere she needs to go. She saw everything in a new light, in such detail it took her breath away every time she did so. For some people, whenever they watched her disappear and reappear some where else, it was just her moving extremely fast, but to Ruby, with her Semblance on full burn, the world stood still. 

As she ran though her own world, everything became so slow to her. She watched snowflakes gently flip and turn in the air, branch swaying in the wind on an evergreen tree. She could actually see the wind as shimmers in the air, finding out that she could actually go even faster if she moved around the pockets of wind. In her slow world, she could pick out the tiniest details in any thing she gazed upon. She was so bored at Beacon one day, she flew past Yang, messing up her prized hair that she cared for so much. In actually, she counted every hair on her head. Her hair felt so soft in her fingers as she painfully separated each silky golden strand and once she was done, Yang pinned her to the ground and gave her a nookie as punishment for messing with her hair. 

That fond memory brought a smile to the Huntress's face as she sprinted though the winter day. The sky was grey, matching the mood around her. There were people that needed help, because she was the only one who was fast enough to save them. Never again will she be too slow to save someone, from the people who died at Vale because she wasn't fast enough. The servants at Weiss's house, who's lives were stolen because she was too slow. Ruby promised herself that she would never be too slow to save anyone ever again. Pyrrha, who died because she couldn't scale a stupid wall fast enough.

As her thoughts turned to the Invincible Girl, from the corner of her eye, she saw the fiery red hair of Pyrrha Nikos, turning her head mid sprint, Ruby watched her walk in extremely slow speed. Her long, armoured legs making deliberate, powerful strides. Her eyes slowly looking over at her, emerald green staring into sterling silver. The dead woman's face was emotionless, unwavering as she stared into her. Gritting her teeth, Ruby shook her head of her thoughts and turned away from the ghost and continued, but behind every tree, her failure stared at her with dead eyes. 

Eventually, Ruby made it to where the refugees were being hunted, with her Semblance, she saw everything nearly frozen in time. Each face contorted in horror, wide eyed and scared. Away from them, a horde of black and white beasts were chasing them down, the creatures Grimm, humanity's oldest, most hated enemy. 

Black, oily fur. Porcelain white plates gave them armour and tool to hunt humans wherever they may be. Decorated with intricate red and yellow patterns and glowing red eyes, these brought nightmares to every little boy and girl that ever lived in Remnant. Coming up to the scene, she was surprised at what, rather who, she saw defending the people who were running away from the beasts. Sun Wukong, His weapons drawn was his action was slowly moving mid way. A bright flash held in place as a Beowolf descended upon him, its white claws covered in a fresh coat of blood trailing from Sun's exposed chest. His opened white shirt, forever stained with his crimson life blood. 

Beside him was Neptune, the blue haired man was firing into the horde. Ruby could actually see the bullets slowly moving towards their targets. The rest of team SSSN was nearby, Sage was doing his best to pull up a fallen Scarlet, who had been knocked onto his back by a rolling Boarbatusk, Ruby saw it still spinning and turning around to start heading back towards them to finish them off. Ruby reached behind her and gripped and pulled Crescent Rose from her lower back, slowly it began to unfold as she sprinted slowly towards the Beowolf that was bringing its other claw down to deal the death blow to Sun. 

The shaft extended out slowly, the way it always did, a thousand times before and how it will another thousand times after. 

Step.

The main body began to unfold beautiful, a butterfly spreading its steel wings as it crawled it's way out of the ruby red cocoon that had imprisoned it just moments before. 

Step.

Ducking under the Grimm's arm, she slide though the snow, the scythe catching the creature's neck, her momentum began to carry her up and above the Beowolf, hitting the trigger on her sniper scythe, she shot a round into the ground, causing the blade to bite into the Grimm's flesh, rending muscle, fat, blood and bone. Detaching head from shoulders. 

As the Grimm's head tumbled gracefully though the air, Ruby set her sights on the rolling Boarbatusk, now rolling back towards the other two members of team SSSN. While in the air, she waited until her body turned to face it before taking careful aim and fired another powerful sniper round at the smaller Grimm. Silver eyes watched as the bullet sailed though the air, slowly spinning as it inched its way closer to its target. 

With the momentum shift, she swung her body and sailed though the air, leaving a floating trail of rose petals as she examined the battlefield. Dead Grimm littered the white ground, turning the snow a putrid black as their thick blood pooled and spread around the Hunters. Looking over, she saw the members of team ABRN further down from SSSN, they to were doing their best to defend against the tide of darkness that was ancient humanity's enemy. 

Landing on her feet, she watched as snow shot up and began to slowly fall, swinging her scythe around carelessly, she shot and jumped over the group of terrified humans and faunus, and landed next to the members of the second team of Hunters here. Unhooking the scythe, the weapon straightened out and Ruby began to run along a charging line of Ursi and Beowolves, cutting open their stomachs and let loose a slow torrent of ichor flowed out. With them saved for the time being, she turned her attention to a group of Grimm that ran between the two teams and Ruby ran towards them. 

Running again, with the scythe unhooked, she fired a shot, turning her in a spinning top of death, she spun across the line and decapitated six large Grimm with ease. The beginning of a scream entered her ears as she spun her head around, her hair slowly trailing behind her movements, she saw a older man about to be torn apart by a very large Ursa. It had many more spikes coming off of its back, marking it as a Ursa Major. 

As she ran towards him, she became aware of a tired pain that formed in the back of her brain. How long has she been burning though her aura to keep up such ridiculous speeds, moving so fast that the world around her looked like a slow motion film. She could feel it, deep in her bones and her chest, her aura would be dangerously low when she would come out of her Semblance, but for now, she needed to just be a little faster. 

Stepping between the Ursa Major and the man, she swung her weapon between the legs of the beast, firing again, the scythe began to cleave the Grimm in two, as the two halves began to spread apart, going to fall on either side of her and the man, the pain in her head began get worse as fresh waves began to form every few seconds for her, pulsing in her brain. She watched as muscle and bone separated cleanly as black blood droplets began to float in the air. Not bothering to try and avoid them, she felt as one landed on her cheek as the beast was on either side of her now.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and tried to slow her beating heart. It felt normal to her, but she knew it was racing inside of her chest. Bringing her scythe up, she corrected the blade back to its original placement and slowly began to open her eyes, exhaling her held breath slowly, she got ready for when everything snapped back into real time. The low, muted cries she heard now would turned to blood curdling screams of mortals, horrible roars of beasts, and the gunfire of weapons to stop one from getting to the other. 

The Ursa Major was three inches from hitting the ground. 

Ruby swung her blade down and the stuck into the froze ground. 

Two inches.

Reaching up, she gripped the handle on the breach and cocked back, releasing a spent shell and it slowly tumbled though the air. The faint smell of burnt red Dust filled her nose. 

One inch. 

The breach slammed shut, another bullet was loaded into the chamber as she took careful aim at the first creature she was going to fire at. Taking a deep breath, she began to exhale sharply, her scream coming out muted and low like all the sounds around her. 

The two halves hit the ground. 

Reality closed in around her, and everything snapped back to its normal speed. The low humming became screams, the muted roars became loud, everything she did during her trance inside her Semblance happened all at the same time. Ruby then fired into the horde, screaming as she did so.

\-------------------------------------------------------------

Sun Wukong had been running and fighting Grimm for what seemed like an hour now. The regular people at his back, all running towards the city they were supposed to be transferring to. Their fear had brought such a massive horde of Grimm, he did everything he could to not die, but as an Beowolf charged him down, Sun swung his nun-chuck shotguns and fired into its chest as his aura was broken by a swing of its paw, crying out in pain, he watched as its other paw was about to come around and take his head off. 

Instead, a loud bang and a flash of red petals zoomed right past his eyes, the Beowolf's head was on the ground. Looking over, Sage and Scarlet kicked over a dead Boarbatusk as it slide towards them. "What the hell was that?" Sage called out looking around confused. Looking down the line, he saw them ABRN had just as confused looks on their faces as a line of Grimm just fell dead in front of them. Following the trail, he saw Ruby with her scythe in the ground, a Ursa Major falling in half around her. Screaming like hell, she fired her rifle into the horde and SSSN called out to his team. "KEEP THEM SAFE, REINFORCEMENTS ARE IN COMING!" If Ruby Rose was here, then her team couldn't be far behind. 

With Ruby providing support, the two teams from Haven Academy were able to suppress the horde until Sun saw two snow vehicles coming from the side at full speed. Sun watched as the large man in the suit of armour waved his arm behind him and a series of glyphs appeared on the ground as a man in a red cloak, who he could only assume was Krimson, and someone with an ungodly amount of yellow that could only be Ruby's sister Yang, jumped into the air from their seats and landed on the first glyph.

The armoured man waved his arm forward and a long line of the white glyphs appeared heading towards the horde, Krimson and Yang ran down the path at an extremely fast pace and jumped right into the middle of the attacking Grimm. The vehicles came to a stop as the armoured man and another wearing a yellow and black robe with his left side exposed began to join the fray. 

With the pressure lessened with the new additions, Sun began to move his team back on defence, allowed them a small break as they simply concentrated on picking off the small amount that made it through. A few minutes later, and an airship began to hover overhead, shots coming from the open back hatch, lighting the field up in gun fire and pink explosions as two blond men jumped out and began to fight as soon as they landed. He recognised Jaune Arc, but not the other, older man. 

The tide of battle quickly turned with the airship providing air support, and the Grimm losing their largest members rather quickly, they began to turn and run away, back to where that came from. Seeing this, a cheer came from Sun's chest, followed by the rest of his team and team ABRN as well. Looking back at the people they saved, they were all smiling, wiping away fearful tears and hugging each other as well as coming to the Hunters and saved them, thanking them with hugs and handshakes. A sobering thought came to Sun's mind when he saw them thanking them like this, Hunters and Huntresses really were heroes to them, people who can kill just as easily as they could save. After refusing the seventeenth offer for medical aid for the wound on his chest, he walked up to Ruby and smiled at her. 

She was helping an older man to his feet the best she could for her small height, next to her was Krimson, surveying the area and looking at the people there. Looking back at him, she smiled and waved lightly. "Hey, Sun" She sounded tired, she looked like she was about to fall over any second now. "Hey, Ruby" He sounded just as tired as she did. Looking up to the taller man dressed in a red cloak, he had the collar above his nose as he nodded to Sun. "Good work out here..." He said looking around a bit. "Where are the rest of the Hunters?' He asked gently. 

"Just SSSN and ABRN" Sun replied as he took a deep breath, he saw Ruby staring at his chest, his aura was already stitching together the flesh. "You sure you're okay Sun?" Ruby asked lightly. Sun grinned and shrugged. "I'll be fine, I'll have a bad ass scar though..." He said as he rubbed his arms and looked around. He had thrown his coat off when the Grimm showed up, and now that the battle was over, he was cold again. 

"Wait, just the two teams?" He asked looking between Sun's team and Arslan's team. Sun could feel the anger build up in the red man as he pulled his collar down and saw that he was grounding his teeth. He pulled out his scroll and opened it. Touching a few buttons he looked around quickly and gave an angry sigh as the call was connected. 

_"Krimson, I was beginning to get worried"_

Krimson was silent for a moment, trying to decide his words carefully. 

"You sent eight teenagers to protect nearly a hundred people..." His voice was a low growl, he could feel the heat slipping form his mouth as he talked to someone on the other end. 

The woman was silent for a moment as Krimson fumed and waited for a response so that he could cut her off. 

_"Krimson-"_

"Where are the other Hunters? the ones who actually graduated? Where are the airships to transport these people? What the hell are you doing Lady Blackwood!" 

"Lady Blackwood?" Sun said as he watched the conversation unfold in front of him

"You know Lady Blackwood?" Ruby asked quietly as Krimson continued to yell at this woman over his scroll. 

"Yeah, she's our head mistress at Haven" Sun said quietly as they watched the conversation continue.

_"We had a terror warning from the White Fang, they said they were going to blow up a bunch of our airships so we grounded them. Unfortunately, just before that, one ship was stolen and since everything else was grounded, we couldn't get it back, and all the other hunters are out on other missions and the council was on my ass about getting these people out of the main city. I had to send students..."_

"Where was the airship headed" Krimson demanded into the scroll. 

_"Atlas"_

With that, he hung up and looked to Ruby. "Make a perimeter, we'll use our ship to ferry people to the city, it'll be safer this way" Ruby nodded and looked at Sun, who nodded and began to give out orders to his team as Ruby did the same. Sun watched as people were put onto the ship and sent off. It would only take three or four trips, at this rate. Now he just needed to find his jacket. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

With the airship landing and being loaded up with civilians, Weiss, Nora, Ren and Blake walked off and helped guide people to their seats or standing. Catching a familiar yellow shape moving though the crowd, Blake walked away from the ship and chased Yang down. "Yang!" Blake called out as she caught up. 

The blonde woman turned around and smirked gently. "Hey! Thanks for the air support" She said with a smile. She had splats of black blood on her clothing, but her hair remained immaculate, Blake just smiled and shrugged. "No problem" She said simply. Blake then noticed that Yang moved a bit and hissed in pain. "You okay?' Blake asked as she went over to her other side and tried to find the source of her partner's pain. 

"Its fine, I just need to get used to fighting with this new arm" Yang said passively as she rubbed the area where her flesh fused with metal. Gently, Blake placed her fingers along her arm, gently tracing her scar tissue that formed from the surgery. Slowly, Yang brushed her hand off her arm and looked into her eyes. "Really, Blake. I'm fine" Blake stared into her lilac eyes and shook her head gently. "Its all because of me this happened to you" Blake began to slowly trail her finger tips along her metal arm. Yang simply shook her head. "No, it's Adams fault.." She said quietly. Knowing where this conversation will lead, Blake tried to change the topic. 

"So, what does it feel like?" She asked as Blake gently examined the black and yellow arm of Yang. Yang simply watched her hand as it traced the lines and curves of the artificial limb. "It's heavy" Yang said gently as she thought about it. "But, I can still feel things...Its like when you sleep on your arm weird and it goes all numb. You can still move it around, and with my Aura moving though it thanks to the Dust, I can feel somethings, but the feeling is muted or just not there. So I only kinda know that your fingers are on my arm...I hate it, its so ugly." 

Blake traced her fingers along her hand, gently sliding her palm against the yellow metal palm. Spreading her fingers against Yang's, she could feel how cold her arm was, the slight vibration of mortars and gears inside of her casing. Slowly Blake shifted her hand and laced her fingers with Yang's, gently squeezing. "It's not ugly. Cold, hard, but not ugly" Blake said with a small smile as she looked up into Yang's eyes. Slowly, Yang closed her fingers around hers, their fingers intertwined and she gave a gentle squeeze. Blake cold feel the pressure on her hand, a little tighter than she'd like, but it felt nice to be held by Yang.

A flutter passed though Blake's stomach as she stared into Yang's lilac eyes, though her metal arm, she thought she could almost feel Yang's heart beat. She watched Yang move to open her mouth, Blake never really stared at another person's lips this intently before. Before Yang could say anything, a very loud noise of someone clearing their throat came from behind her. Her eyes widen and Blake looked behind her to see Taiyang standing there. His eyebrow raised and a small smirk on his face. "Am I interrupting something?" 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Yang watched in horror as her father was just staring at them with their hands intertwined. Her face turning so red that Ruby would be jealous at its shade as Blake looked behind her at the tall man. Quickly, the faunus tried to release her hand from Yang's but found that she couldn't. Looking down, Yang saw her own fingers were still tightly wrapped around hers as Blake tried to pull away. "Uh, Yang? Can I have my hand back please?" Blake asked, her face painfully red in embarrassment. Yang nodded as she tried to will the metal fingers to open, but hey were just not cooperating. 

"I'm trying..." 

"Just, open your fingers" 

"I'm trying!" 

Finally, her fingers decided to work and released Blake's hand. "I'm going to-um- yeah" She then quickly ran off, doing her best to hide her blush. Chuckling, Taiyang walked towards his daughter and raised his eyebrow gently. "Ah, young love..." 

"Dad!" 

Taiyang just laughed again and watched as Blake rushed off. "She seems nice..." He then looked at her and smiled a bit. "Oh don't worry about it Yang, you know I don't care about that kind of stuff" He said looking back at his daughter, who's face and neck were a deep crimson. "Yes, I know. You wouldn't shut up about it when I had my first boyfriend at Signal" Yang said with a roll of her eyes. 

"I would just like to point out, that team romances don't always work you" Taiyang warned. Yang just stared at him and blinked a few times. "Didn't you get both women on your team pregnant?" Yang asked as she tilted her head and crossed her arms over her chest. Taiyang just blinked a few times as he processed what she told him. "Point taken, I'll shut up now..." 

"You're not going to talk to me about the birds and the bees again?" 

Taiyang shook his head and started walking away, throwing his hands in the air in defeat. 

"Or is it birds and birds. Bees and bees? I never really understood that story" She said as she began to follow her father, embarrassing him as they walked. Taiyang just shook his head more, trying to get away from her. 

There were no more Grimm attacks for the rest of the day, the people from Vale safely made it to the city they were going to. The sun had already set by the time team SSSN and ABRN were dropped off in Haven, and teams KNGT, RWBY, and the remnant JNPR returned to the lodge for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I finished writing up chapter 22 (Woot) I realised that this is becoming much larger than I expected it to be. The question I am asking is, if it is better to break apart the story into more parts. Originally it was going to be a 5 part story, but as I wrap up chapter 22, we are just over the half-way point. So I hope people will comment about if you want to see more parts with less chapters or vise versa. 
> 
> As a side note, I would like to mention the inspiration to the slow motion scene at the beginning of this chapter. Reading, A Dose Of Rwby by Raziel12, chapter 5. I just thought it was a really cool way to express what Ruby experiences while using her semblance. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and as always, feed back is always welcome.


	23. To catch a cindering Bird

It had been a week and a half since everyone had saved the people from Vale from the large Grimm attack in Mistral. In that time, the doctor that gave Yang her new arm had already left while giving her detailed instructions on daily maintenance, and Yang did her best not to fall asleep during that. Yang had spent her time working out and getting back into shape, sparring with whoever would volunteer. She had sparred against everyone on team KNGT, except for Noir, who simply rubbed his jaw and walked away when she asked. She did fairly good against Grau and Taang again, Krimson was a harder opponent. She had fought him three times, and each time she had lost faster than the last, something about the beat of her soul, or some shit like that. 

Over the week and a half they had been staying in the lodge, RWBY with the remains of JNPR had gotten pretty close to the members of KNGT. Ruby and Grau bonding over weapons and dust in the workshop in the basement, Weiss learning more about her new half-brother. Blake, surprisingly, hung out with Noir a few times, another faunus to talk to about things must have been nice for her. Yang found herself working out with Taang and Nora more often, someone to actually keep up with her. Nora and Taang bonded surprisingly over arm wrestling, but after three broken tables, Krimson put an end to that. Noir and Yang worked together to goad and harass other people with witty comments, friendly nicknames and playful insults. All in all, if they were in beacon when it was still around, Yang would be glad to call them friends. 

Right now, everyone was gathered in the library, the make shift meeting room for their plans. Over the time, a few members at a time would go out and take care of a problem, either Grimm or White Fang causing a scene somewhere inside Mistral. The longer they waited, the more frustrated Krimson became. Yang could see it, he would just stare at maps of the world and Mistral, red circles and x's dotted all over it. "We need more information" Krimson said simply as he folded his arms and looked to everyone. "We can't send everyone to Atlas to look for Cinder until we know thats exactly where she is" 

"Why's that?" Yang found herself asking. It seemed like a good idea to her. 

"Because, if we all move to Atlas, the second we leave, Cinder will attack Mistral turning it into another Vale" Krimson said simply. 

"Oh..." 

"Thats why we need more information...Anything from Atlas?" Krimson asked looking over at Grau. The man shook his head lightly. 

"None, though traditional mail is very slow, if Cinder attacked Atlas, we would have known by now, the same could be said with Vacuo" 

With that answer, Krimson sighed and leaned onto the table. "This is getting us no where" He said simply and looked up at Noir. "Think you can figure something out?" He asked him. The wolf faunus just grinned and clapped his hands together and rubbed them. 

"Say no more, Big Red" He said looking around the table. "So, who wants to go to town with me?" He asked looking around. Yang immediately throws her hand up into the air. "Please take me" Yang had been in the lodge longer than anyone, everyone else had missions while she was trying to get used to her new arm, even after she got it, she had only been out on two missions. She was starting to get cabin fever. 

"Alright, Fist. Who else?" Fist, that was what he started calling her after she punched him into a wall the last time he called her 'Blondie'. He looked over at Blake and pointed. "What about you, Book Worm?" It took him a long time to figure that one out. 

"Sure, I help look around" Blake said with a nod. 

"Great, what about you..." Noir narrowed his eyes at him. "...Ren..." He said while staring at him. "I really need to figure out a name for you..." Noir said quietly and the young man shrugged. "Sure, do you mind if we pick up a few things while we're there?" Noir shrugged. "Sure, why not. Everyone, get ready by the snow vehicles in ten minutes" With nods from everyone, they all left to get ready for their recon mission into the city. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Yeah, I'll have a double cheese burger with bacon and an a large order of fries and a vanilla milkshake..." Noir said as he gave the menu back to the waitress. Blake was next to order, Yang rolled her eyes as she ordered fish. "I thought we were here to gather information" Ren said as he looked around the diner. 

"Yeah, that's what I thought" Yang said looking at Noir, then quickly ordering the same thing Noir ordered. 

"I know, but I can't keep eating all that wholesome bullshit you and Taiyang keep pumping out, no offence" Ren nodded as he looked at the menu. "I'll take a chicken salad" Ren said simply as he handed the menu back. Noir just stared at him and pointed at him. "You'd better put some grease on that or I'll slap ya, ya bastard." 

"But seriously" Blake said looking across the table to Noir. "Why are we here?" 

"You think I haven't been doing anything for the past hour while you were buying your books?" Noir asked as he pulled his scroll out. "By the way, you should be ashamed..." Blake just blinked and looked away from him. 

"I simply asked the local underground how I can disappear..." He said simply as he looked over his scroll as the food arrived for them. "In about five minutes, someone is going to walk into this diner, sit along the bar and ask for a peanut butter milkshake" Noir said as he put the scroll away and gripped the massive, dripping hunk of meat on a bun. 

"Why peanut butter?" Yang asked with a full mouth. 

"Because its _gross_ " Noir said simply as he took a large bite. Yang could feel eyes on her, mostly on her arm. Looking down at the painted metal, she wished she had put a long sleeved shirt instead of her usual attire. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed a fry and ate it slowly.

Sure enough, five minutes later. A man walked in wearing a black suit and a red tie. Black sunglasses blocked his eyes and a black hat covered his hair. Watching him walk over to the bar, sure enough, he ordered a peanut butter milkshake and sat there. "I know that guy..." Yang said as she watched him. Noir took his eyes off him and raised an eyebrow at her. "You do?" 

"One of Junior's thugs..." She said. Looking back at him, he nodded and looked back at him. "Well, I was told that if I wasn't there in fifteen minutes, I would have lost my chance to disappear. So if we follow him, he'll lead us straight to the man in charge..." Noir said with a smile as he finished scarfing down the greasy burger. When the thug left, they all filed out of their booth, some of the food half eaten as Noir tossed a couple of Lien cards on the table and followed the man. 

Walking behind him, the team was eventually lead to a large building with music booming from the inside. Stopping around the back, Noir looked at them and nodded. "Alright, this is how we're going to play this..." 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Hei "Junior" Xiong looked over his newest club. It had taken a while to get it up in Mistral, but he had finally done it. With a small satisfied smile, he ran a cloth over his black stone bar arranged the bottles perfectly. He may own it, but he always enjoyed working the bar most nights. Looking up when he saw a silhouette walking towards the door, he waited for it to open and get a look at the newest customer. 

The man walked in with a swagger in his step. A white and black plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, scars and tattoos lined the exposed tanned skin. He wore a toque with a symbol stitched on the right side, an eye with a crosshair for an iris. One blue and one green eye with a strip of black hair running from his bottom lip down and over his chin. The next thing he noticed was his pants, faded grey and two large pistols strapped to his thighs, marking him as a Hunter. Just want he needed, another Hunter. 

Walking up to the bar, the man sat on a stool and looked along the line of bottles before tapping his chin gently. "What can I get for you, Sir?' Junior asked with a small smile. The man looked at him and raised his eyebrow. "I'm new to Haven, what would you suggest?" He asked with a small smile, accent was hard to place, but it was ragged and he rolled his 'R's. Perhaps somewhere from Vacuo. 

"Personally, I prefer the simpler ones" Junior said as he reached for a glass. "Bourbon?" He suggested. The man nodded thoughtfully and Junior placed a filled glass in front of him. He picked it up and gave it a whiff and smiled. "That is nice.." He said after he took a sip. 

"So, what brings you down here?" Junior asked as he cleaned a glass and put it with the others. 

"I'm looking for someone" He said simply as he examined the liquid. 

"Well, there are plenty of fish in the sea here" He said with a smile and a gesture towards the dance floor where dozens of people were dancing with each other. Looking over at them, the man smiled and turned back to the bar owner. 

"They are all very nice, but I'm looking for someone in particular..." He said as he sipped his glass. "I'm looking for a nice girl" he said leaning back slightly. "Black hair, amber eyes, a bit of a bitch...but her voice is like silk..." He felt his mouth grow dry, licking his lips, he put the glass down and shook his head. "Sorry, but I don't think I can help you with that..." He said simply as he looked around a bit. 

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that..." He said as he leaned back and turned towards the door. "Hey Fist!" He shouted over the music. "He doesn't know where our friend is!" Looking over at the door, he saw the next silhouette come over the door, and his heart went cold. The doors swung open, and there she was. Blonde hair cascading behind her shoulders, lilac eyes sweeping the club. She looked exactly like she did the first time he met her, only this time, her right arm was black and yellow. Gulping down, he quickly grabbed everything he needed for her drink. 

Finishing the strawberry sunrise with no ice, just as Blondie got to the bar, with an annoyed look on her face, she looked at the drink and raised a dangerous eyebrow, waiting silently for him to fix his own mistake. Looking down at the drink, he quickly reached over and grabbed a little drink umbrella and popped it in. "Sorry, Sir" Junior said quickly as she accepted the drink now. 

"Wow, Fist. Your own drink _and_ a title as soon as you walk into a place? Damn, I've got to bring you out more often..." The man said with a grin as the two of them looked back at Junior. "Now, lets ask one more time..." The man leaned in and stared into his eyes. "Where is she?" He asked. Yang leaned in and placed her hand on the counter, making soft click of metal hitting stone. Looking at her metal arm, he began to weigh his choices in his head. One on hand, Cinder was a frightening woman, worse than Yang, but she wasn't here right now. 

"I don't know where she is..." He said simply. The man simply dropped his head and shook his disappointed. Yang narrowed her eyes and sipped her drink before carefully setting it on the bar top. A heavy thud of one of the large pistols was set on the table, the man's hand on the handle, finger inside the trigger guard, 

"Bad answer..." 

Looking behind the man, Junior smiled lightly as he saw someone walking up behind him. "Well, sir" Junior said with a small gesture to the man who was now standing there. "How about you take it up with our complaint department, Papa Bear" The two looked at each other before turning to look at the man. 

He was very large, his black suit didn't have sleeves, more like they were torn off to expose his massive biceps. The red tie off set the black of the entire outfit, same could be said for the comically large bear head with an angry face on it. He tilted his head and cracked his knuckles in his hands. Looking back at each other, the two of them raised an eyebrow before the man jerked his head at its location. "Go have fun" With a smirk, Yang downed the rest of her drink and began to walk towards Papa Bear with a grin. 

"Lets get back down to business, shall we?" He said with a smile as he turned back towards Junior. He was about to say something when Papa Bear was punched across the club, earning a sigh from Junior as people began to scream and file out of the club quickly, leaving them inside with the music. 

"Oh, but this is your song..." Junior said as he nodded to Melanie and Miltia Malachite as they walked up behind the man. Slowly turning back around and seeing the twins, he raised an eyebrow and smirked gently. "I don't know what I did to deserve this..." He said as he got off his seat and downed the rest of his drink with a sharp inhale and a pained face. "That is good stuff" He mentioned to Junior before grabbing his pistols and pulled them out. "So ladies, shall we?" He asked with a grin. 

"This man is looking at us with a perverted gaze, Melanie" The red sister said as she blushed slightly. 

"He is Miltia, let's tear his eyes out..." Said the other sister as the two of them jerked their bodies and brought their weapons out. The man lifted his pistols up and began to fire them at the two girls. They easily dodged out of the way, giving him enough time to turn around and pointed the large barrel at Junior. His smirk was gone, replaced with a serious one that made Junior think that it was a bad idea to make them fight. Just before he fired off, Melanie kicked his arm with her bladed boots, causing him to miss and hit the bottles behind him. 

Quickly changing the pistols into bladed tonfas, he began to defend against a flurry of quick attacks from the sisters, quickly being forced to the middle of the flashing dance floor in tune with the quick beat of the club music. He was doing pretty good against the sisters, with his two weapons, he was blocking and dodging to the best he could, but they were very fast, he took a few hits from each of him, his aura taking the brunt of it. He was quickly overcome by a combo from Milita, causing him to block her attacks, leaving him completely open for a roundhouse kick, sending him flying up and over the DJ's station, landing just behind it. 

Yang was dealing with Papa bear just fine, he may have been large, but his attacks were slow, she easily ducked and dodged past his large fists as he tried to hit her. With Ember Celica fitted over both of her forearms, she sent a few hits into his stomach. Blinking, the blonde watched as he shrugged off her attacks and stretched his arms out a bit. His shoulders moving and down as muddled laughter came from behind his angry face bear mask. 

Getting up, the man shook his head lightly as he stumbled to his feet. Looking at where he was now standing, he smiled a little and pulled his scroll out and plugged it into the station, stopping the club music. Everyone stopped and looking up at him with confused looks, he eventually picked something and the club was filled with heavy guitar and drums in a metal beat. "Much better" He said with a grin and jumped off the platform to continue the fight. 

Papa Bear was swinging his arms around, his large fists connecting against Yang's gauntlets, causing her to be pushed back by the sheer size of his body. With a massive punch, Yang was sent flying against one of the walls and she slid down slowly, with a three point landing, her hair began to flow out in a brilliant light, she got up to her feet in time for Papa Bear to charge at her with another massive right fist. Yang simply lifted her black and yellow palm and caught the blow, hardly moving. A slow grin formed on her lips as her hand closed on his fist, crushing it under the strength of her metal arm, he fell to his knees slowly. 

With the change in music, his movements began to become fiercer. Blocking and countering the sister's attacks in beat with the new music. His right green eye glowing as he watched and masterfully blocked Miltia's claws with one hand and shot her in the stomach with his other, her aura flashed dangerously, meaning the next shot might kill her. Doubling over, the man's attention was pulled to Melanie as she tried to kick him in the head, only for it to be blocked. 

Grabbing her leg with his weapons, he smirked lightly as he threw her against her sister, causing them both to slide across the dance floor. He was about to say something when the massive body of Papa Bear collided with the twins, the momentum carried the three of them though a set of double doors that lead to the back. Looking back at Yang, the man lifted his hand and approved with a thumbs up while she reached back and threw her hair back with a smile. "You're right, Noir, we should go out more often" She said with a smile. 

With a smirk, the man, Noir, looked over at Junior and shrugged. "I don't see any more reasons why you should keep hiding her from us" He said as he began to walk back towards the bar. 

"I count forty two reasons..." Junior said with a smirk. Noir and Yang looked over at the door the twins and the large man broke though. A small army of black and red thugs with swords came out and surrounded them. Junior pulled out his club and began to walk towards them with a smile. Noir gave a heavy sigh and looked around at all the men that surrounded them. "Forty two?" Noir asked as he looked around and nodded. "Bet I can beat more than you" He said with a smirk. Yang just grinned and jerked her arms, cocking fresh rounds into her weapons. "You're on!" 

\------------------------------------------------------------

Blake and Ren had been standing outside the back of the club for a long time. Noir and Yang entered a while ago and still haven't come back. "I'm starting to get worried" Blake said lightly, looking down the alleyway to where the main street. 

"I'm sure they're fine" Ren said as he stood beside her. "Yang is strong, she's improved a lot since you found her back at patch" He said gently. Blake nodded lightly, he was right. Yang was much better than she was two weeks ago. With a sigh, she nodded again as Ren continued to talk. "Besides, she's not going to do something reckless anymore...Not with someone waiting for her" 

Blake blinked slightly as he said that. "What do you mean?"

"I mean you and Yang" 

Blake shook her head quickly. "No, no not me...She wouldn't be waiting for me..." Blake said as she felt heat crept along her cheeks. 

"Taiyang wasn't the only one who saw you and her holding hands out in that field" 

Blake cleared her throat quickly and looked away from him. "Please, everyone sees it" Ren said with a small smile. "With everything that has been happening and will happen, we need people that we can lean on, and I think Yang wouldn't be opposed to that idea" 

"What about you and Nora?" Blake quickly asked, shifting the awkward conversation. 

"What about us, there's nothing there...' Ren said simply as Blake rolled her eyes. 

"Thats the kettle and the pot for you..." Blake said under her breath as she took a deep breath and looked around a bit. "It's getting late, think we should see whats up?" She asked as she looked over at Ren. He shrugged simply. "I'm sure Noir knows exactly what he's doing" 

As if on cue, the two looked behind them at the sound of the back door being slammed open and Noir was thrown to the ground. Groaning, he got up and shouted at the door opening, gesturing wildly with his gun. he words barely understandable with his heavy accent. "Where did you learn to count!" He shouted at someone inside the club. 

Whipping their heads forward as a large chunk of the brink wall broke open as a very large man with an angry bear face was thrown though it. On top of him was Yang, slowly getting off of the man, she groaned and kicked him once she was on her feet. "I told you to watch your six!" She yelled at Noir. 

"No!, you said there is six!" He shouted back at her as he walked past Ren and Blake and waded though debris. 

"Yeah! and you said that you had a fucking tree!" She yelled back at him. "What does a Dust damned tree have to do in the middle of a fight?" She yelled back at him. 

"Tree! Tree!' He shouted at her as he held up three fingers to her face. "I had tree of them on me!" He shouted in his horrible accent. 

"Well sorry! You should should have learned how to speak properly!" She yelled back at them. The man below Yang groaned and began to shift, earning him another sharp kick from Yang's boot. Looking up at Blake, she gave a gentle wave. "Hey guys" She said with a smile. 

Noir looked back at them and waved gently. "What about Junior?" Blake asked while looking around. Noir just blinked a few times and his eyes widen. "Oh! Right, totally forgot about him..." He then waded though the rubble again and went into the building, yelling as he did. "Junior! Get out here ya bastard!" 

Blake and Ren followed Yang into the building and admired the chaos. Groaning bodes thrown about, the walls dented and pillars destroyed. The flashing dance floor was sparking and the speakers were blown out. Yang and Noir caught up to a man crawling away behind the bar. Pulling him back, Yang quickly reached down between his legs and the man cried out in pain. "You're going to tell us everything...Now..." She demanded. Noir was visibly uncomfortable with the Yang grabbing another by the delicates. 

"Please! I don't know anything!" He cried out. 

"I still don't have full control over my new arm, by the way" She said with a smile. 

"Okay okay! Please just let go, YaAAAAHH!! Sir! Sir! I'll tell you Sir!" 

She released her grip on Junior's pants and folded her arms. "Where did Cinder Fall run to" She asked him. 

"Atlas!. She went to Atlas!" He cried out. Looking at one another, they all nodded and began to make their way out of the building, just in time for a light to fall off the ceiling and break the last remaining flashing light on the dance floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading. Feed back is always welcome.


	24. Working on Problems

With her sister and Blake out with Ren and Noir, Ruby decided that Crescent Rose needed some much needed attention. Walking down the stairs and past the large, industrial size laundry room, Ruby walked past a set of doors to the maintenance room turned workshop. Inside was several benches lined with various machines designed to work on everything from the largest blade to the smallest gear. Walking up to a bench that she had pretty much claimed as her own, she set her baby on the table and took her cloak off, setting it on a rack that was near by. She looked at the bench at the end of the room where Grau was busy working on something. 

The man who sat there wasn't the man she met when she arrived at the lodge for the first time. Without his armour, Grau Schnee went from a nearly seven foot armoured tank, to a sickly frail man. Grau wore a baggy t-shirt as he moved his painfully thin arms around the table. Ruby could grab his wrist and touch her finger to her thumb with ease. The baggy white shirt emphasising how thin he really was under his massive suit of armour. 

It was a shock when she first saw him outside of his armour, saying she was shocked was putting it mildly. He explained that when his mother was pregnant with him, she was very sick the entire time, resulting him growing up with poor muscle development. Though he very weak, his brain was very strong. After his father, and by extension, Weiss and Winter's father, adopted him while keeping it under wraps, he quickly designed the suit of armour that allowed him to move around without the use of canes and wheelchairs. Powered by Dust, he went from being a weak child to a tank on legs. Shortly afterwards, he deigned his weapon, Ruby learned that it was a great sword called Grand Excailla. It opened up in half and the handles connected into a double bladed staff, as if that wasn't awesome enough, he could detach and it becomes two long swords. 

Of course she thought his armour was the coolest thing ever, the first time he allowed her to look at it without him inside of it, he laughed at how much about what he used to make it. Looking over at him, she smiled lightly. "So, did you figure out how to stop the red Dust from overheating the cooling systems?" She asked as she pulled out the tools she would need to perform the maintenance on Crescent Rose. 

From his station, Grau shook his head and looked over to the suit of armour that was standing nearby. "Not yet, I was thinking of using light blue Dust, but that would increase Dust consumption at a rate that would burn though my power supply too quickly..." He said simply as he looked back to what he was busy working on. "I'll just have to make sure I don't use red Dust until I figure that out..." He said simply as he looked over at her, "What are you working on?" He asked her. 

"Just doing some routine maintenance on my baby" She said with a smile as she opened the scythe and began to take it apart, methodically putting every screw, bolt and gear separately in their own pile and began to do her work. Silence enveloped them as they minded their own benches and tools. While cleaning one of the gears, Ruby heard Grau ask her a question. "So, has Yang let you look at her new arm yet?" He asked gently. 

"Not really" Ruby pouted lightly. "Just a few adjustments here and there, she hasn't let me fully take a look at it yet" She heard a chuckle from from Grau's table as she continued. "I mean, we're sisters, we've shared so many things though the years! She's never once complained whenever I gave Ember Celica a once over, but as soon as she gets a super cool awesome robot arm, _suddenly_ it becomes too personal for your awesome sister to tinker with it..." She huffed while she worked on her own weapon. 

"Some people are sensitive about their artificial limbs, they think it makes them less human than the rest of us" Grau hummed lightly as he reached over and grabbed a press of some sort and set it up next to him. 

"I know...but its _sooooo coooool!_ " Ruby whined as she noticed what he was doing. "What's the bullet press for?" Ruby asked more curious about that than Yang's new arm for the moment. 

"I'm making Noir's sniper bullets" He said simply as he pour a measured amount of red Dust into a shell casing, placed a bullet on top of it and placed the whole thing in the press. Letting the press do most of the work, he pulled the leaver down and pressed the bullet into its completed form. He then set the round on the table and got the next one ready. "Whenever he does it, he always puts way more in than necessary and jams up his weapon" She smiled lightly, remembering when she used to do the same thing with her own bullets. 

Most of the day was spent working on her weapons, only interrupted when fer dad came down with a sandwich for her for lunch. Taiyang and Grau shared some words about his armour and he left with a kiss on his daughter's head, whatever they were doing was far above his level of comprehension. Losing track of time, she continued to clean, grease and tune her weapon before a familiar voice broke her concentration. 

"Heya sis!" Looking over, Yang stood next to her table and smiled at her. "Whatcha working on?" She asked, her lilac eyes looking over her shoulder at the mostly reassembled sniper-scythe. 

"Oh, just giving Crescent Rose some much needed attention" Ruby said as she looked over at Yang. "When did you get back?" She asked while spinning around in her seat to look at her older sister.

"Just now, Noir is giving Krimson what we learned while we were out" She said as she pulled up a stool and sat down next to her sister, recounting their mission at Junior's new club. Ruby laughed at the part where Noir was thrown though the back door by twins and she sent a man named Papa Bear though a brick wall. With a smile, Yang turned to face her sister, she winked and cleared her throat. "Now, I need your help with something" 

Ruby looked up at her, child like wonder in her silver eyes as she got ready for her sister to finally ask her to work on her arm. Yang saw that and rolled her eyes. "Relax Rubes, I just need you to adjust Ember Celica" Yang said as she lifted her right arm up and showed her. "Whenever it opens up, it always catches this one lip" Upon inspection, Ruby could see the black and yellow pain being cleaned off by repetition of her weapon opening and closing, scrapping across her forearm and catching a small screw that seemed to have come loose while fighting. 

With a pout, Ruby gently took her sister's arm and began to tighten the screw while examining it as much as she could. "This screw came loose, you haven't been doing your daily routines have you..." She said as she found a few more screws and tighten them as well. Yang just sighed deeply and shook her head. "I forget, sorry" 

Ruby lightly tapped Yang's head with the screwdriver and shook her head. "This isn't your weapon that you can do whenever you want, this is your arm, Yang. Just like your morning workout and stretches, you need to work on your arm so that its ready with the rest of your body" She said as she began to trace her fingers along the scrapped paint and exposed silver of the metal. Yang just huffed lightly while rubbing her head gently. "I know, the doc wouldn't shut up about it..." She said simply as she watched as Ruby made thinking faces. A press of her lips, eyebrows waggling and head tilts made it extremely easy to beat her at cards. 

With a sigh, Ruby scratched her head, smearing black grease across her forehead. "There's not a lot I can do about the paint being scrapped away...I would either need to widen Ember Celica or make your arm thinner." Ruby said as she rubbed her nose, spreading the grease further down her face. A sudden though filled her mind and a smile broke on her lips. "Or, I can put Ember Celica into your arm!" She said with a grin. Ruby could see the unimpressed look on Yang's face as Ruby continued. 

"Oh come on! It would be so cool!" She said as she began to gesture wildly. "You could be all like, _Bam!_ " Ruby punched the air, mimicking the way Yang reloads her shotgun shells in her weapon. "Then your arm would open up and be all like, _Sheck_ , then you can be all, _Bam bam bam!_ Then when you're done, you can be like, _Wha!_ , and it just folds back into your arm" At this point Grau was now looking at Ruby as she danced around the workshop, imagining Yang doing everything she was just miming. 

When she was finished, Ruby looked up at Yang and she simply shook her head. "Not going to happen" She said with a smirk and patted her head gently. "Awww, please?" She asked, but Yang was gone before she could be trapped in Ruby's puppy eyes. With another pout she sat back down at her bench and continued to work on her own weapon. Grau just laughed slightly as he turned to face her. "She might allow you some day" He said simply as he turned back to his own work when Weiss walked in and knocked on the door. "Grau? Krimson said he needed you" She said as she looked over at Ruby and rolled her eyes. "Ruby, you've got grease all over your face, you dolt" She walked up to her grabbed a rag and held it out to her. Ruby simply smiled and began to wipe it off, using the blade of her scythe as a mirror. 

A soft hissing came from Grau's armour as he got into it, once again becoming the massive powerhouse of KNGT. With a nod, Grau left the young women in the workshop to see what Krimson wanted with him, leaving Ruby and Weiss alone. After a few moments of silence passed before Weiss spoke up. "So, how have you been feeling lately" 

Ruby knew where this was going. She asked her this same question almost everyday for the past week, about her nightmares and about seeing Pyrrha and Roman. Looking up at her, she smiled lightly. "Well, as long as you keep sleeping next to me at night, the nightmares will stay away" With that, Weiss's cheeks flushed red as she sat down in the stool that Yang had been sitting in previously. Weiss cleared her throat lightly, they didn't even ask each other anymore, it just kinda happened every night now. 

After Ruby had infiltrated Weiss's room that one night, the next night, Weiss had come into Ruby's room asking the same thing. Apparently she was having nightmares too, Ruby found out when she jolted awake one night with a gasp. Ruby just held her close until she calmed down, inhaling the clean scent with a subtle hint of vanilla filling her nose. Truth be told, Ruby had never slept better than in the arms of Weiss Schnee. With her sleeping better at night, she had seen less and less of Pyrrha and Roman during the day time, just seeing them every once in a while, standing behind trees or in doorways as she walked passed them. The bags under her eyes were lessened and she was slowly becoming like she used to be. 

Weiss nodded slowly as she looked at her. "Thats good" She said gently as she watched Ruby move slightly. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked slowly. Ruby shook her head."No...what I saw Weiss, I don't ever want to go through that again..." Weiss just nodded slightly as she reached over and rubbed her back slowly. 

"I understand Ruby, I'll be right here when you want to talk about it" 

Ruby nodded slowly as she quickly reassembled her weapon and folded it neatly. Grabbing her cloak, she put it on her shoulders and set the weapon on her lower back and hugged Weiss. "Thanks Weiss, you're the best" She smiled. Weiss hugged her back and nodded. 

"Come on, I'm sure you're hungry" Ruby smiled and walked with her out of the workshop and turned off the lights, faint glows of Dust filling the room from their containers. Walking up to the dining hall, she saw Blake, Krimson and Noir all huddled around a couple of maps of the kingdom of Atlas. Red circles and 'X's plotted the snowy soundscape as they were discussing something. Blake looked up and nodded to them, they simply nodded back and walked into the kitchen and smelled something great. Taang was working his though several pots and pans, stirring and mixing several different ingredients together. 

"It's almost ready" He said as he pulled some flat bread from the oven and set it on the table to cool. "What is is?" Ruby asked as she peeked into a pot. "A curry from south Mistral, where I was from. I'm sure you'll like it" He said simply as he got plates ready and started dividing up portions for everyone. The meal was good, a bit too spicy for Ruby's tastes, but she fixed that with a plate of cookies after dinner. 

Getting ready for bed, Ruby was in her black and pink dotted pyjamas. Soon, Weiss walked in and Ruby smiled. She was wearing her white fuzzy house coat and matching slippers. Where she managed to hide that in her case when they arrived her escaped her. She hung up the robe and quickly sat next to her, the two of them cuddled up to each other, wrapped up in each others arms as Ruby turned out the light inhaled her scent again. The two of them fell asleep in the bed, the cold night not bothering them as they drifted together. 

Ruby woke up in the night, a strange feeling went over her. Gently turning in Weiss's arms, she pressed her back to Weiss's chest and opened her eyes gently. Her heart stopped, her blood went cold and her breath was caught in her throat. Beside the bed, Pyrrha and Roman were starting at her, emotionless faces watching her as Ruby opened her mouth and screamed. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Yang was sitting in her room, under the covers with her scroll in her hand. Zwei was laying on her stomach as she flipped though several different articles about artificial limbs and how to live your live while trying to get over it. Yang had already read all these articles already, but everything else was about the growing concern of war between The three remaining kingdoms. A heavy sigh as she flipped past one article to the next when she heard it. A scream. Ruby's scream. Jolting up, she practically threw Zwei off her stomach and onto the floor as she stared at her door, unsure if it was real or not. 

Another scream, and Yang jumped out of bed and ran though her door. Running across the short width of the hall to Ruby's room, she was joined by Blake as the door opened up and she saw Ruby, kneeling on the ground, tears running down her cheeks as she openly cried out, Weiss kneeling next to her, her hand on her back, trying to get though to her. Weiss looked up at Yang as the blonde barged into the room and looked around. "What's going on?" Yang asked as her sister cried out. 

"I don't know, she just started like this" Weiss said as she looked back at Ruby as she screamed out again.

" _Leave me ALONE!_ " Ruby screamed out at nothing, curling into a tight ball on the ground, her forehead touching the cold wood. The last time Ruby cried like that was the night Summer never came home, she cried and screamed at no one, Taiyang was jsut silent that night, crying softly as Yang held Ruby in her arms, being the older sister as Ruby cried until she lost her voice. It tore her heart in half seeing that the first time, now it was happening again. Ruby's voice was already giving away when she screamed out once more. 

Suddenly, members of team KNGT and remnants of JNPR were at the door, each trying to figure out what was going on. Taiyang pushed past everyone and knelled next to his crying daughter, a loose pale yellow shirt and dark brown pyjama pants that he threw on in haste of hearing her "Ruby, baby, tell me whats wrong" He asked her as she gently shook her shoulders. 

" _Go away!_ " Ruby screamed at him. No, not at him, past him. Her eyes were looking past him when she cried out. Shocked, their father removed his hands from Ruby, unsure what to do. Next to push past everyone was Krimson, he was still wearing his red vest and black shirt with red pinstripes on it. He looked at Ruby and to where she was looking and back at her again. He knelt down and looked at her. 

"You see them, don't you..." He said gently. 

Whatever spell that held her baby sister broke when Krimson spoke. Slowly, she looked over at him and nodded. "They won't leave me alone..." She seemed to calm down a bit and he nodded gently. Standing back up, he looked at everyone and nodded to them. "I need to speak to her alone, please" Everyone just looked at him, Taiyang got up and got into Krimson's face. "I'm not leaving her! Look at her!" 

"I know whats wrong with her" Krimson said calmly.

"Then tell me! I'm her father!" 

"And I'm her kind" Krimson told him as he stared into Taiyang's eyes. "A silver-eyed warrior" 

Taiyang was silent for a few moments as he looked down at Ruby and released a deep breath and shook his head. Defeated, he turned and walked out of the room, followed by everyone else. Blake gently moved up to Weiss and gently grabbed her shoulder and helped her up. As she was getting up, Weiss helped Ruby sit on the bed before grabbing Yang and leaving the room all together, leaving Krimson and Ruby together in the room as the door slowly clicked closed. 

Everyone walked down the halls and spit into different groups to talk about what just happened. Jaune, Nora and Ren went back to a room nearby, deciding it was a team RWBY thing. Weiss, Yang and Blake stood outside of Yang's door and looked at each other. "What the hell was that?" Yang asked out in the open as they looked at each other. 

"I don't know" Weiss said. "She just started screaming suddenly..." She said shaking her head. She pulled her white hair over her shoulder and began to stroke it nervously. Yang shook her head and folded her arms slowly when Noir walked up, he was shirtless and wore some black loose pants, he wasn't wearing his usual toque so his wolf ears were visible to the open. She noticed that he had a rather large scar that ran the length of his torso, it was bright against his tanned skin. Pistol in his hand, he walked up to them and looked around them. "So she just started screaming?" He asked simply with a raised eyebrow. 

Weiss just nodded as she looked around. "Yeah, I was just sleeping when she started screaming, I don't know what happened." Yang just nodded a thought entered her brain suddenly. 

"Weiss..." Yang started slowly. 

"Yeah?"

"How did you get to Ruby before I did?" Yang asked as she looked over at the white girl. Weiss's eyes widen when she realised what Yang was thinking of. Blake looked over at Weiss as well, her eyebrow raised gently. 

"Well...I'm in the room next to her..." 

"Yeah, but I'm across the hall from her, and I had to open the door and you were already there" Yang saw Weiss gulp down as she slowly looked over at Yang. Before Weiss could say anything, Yang spoke once more. "Weiss..."

"Yes, Yang?" 

"What were you doing with my sister behind closed doors in the middle of the night?" Blake's eyes widen slightly as she looked at her with both eyebrows raised in surprise. Weiss opened her mouth before closing it, thinking carefully on what to say to Yang, trying to defuse the time bomb that was quickly counting down. 

From behind them, Noir simply walked down the hall and away from the situation, wisely deciding that his life was endangered as Weiss opened her mouth. "We...were sleeping"

"Together?"

"Not like that, Yang!" Weiss quickly and quietly shouted at the blonde, who was staring down at her now. 

"Then _please_ tell me how you were sleeping with my sister?" Anger was beginning to slip out of her mouth as she stared at her teammate, her friend, and _apparently_ her sister's lover. 

Weiss was silent for a moment, she looked over at Blake for a second before looking back at Yang. "She's been having nightmares" Weiss began as she looked up at her. Yang simply raised her eyebrow and waited for her to continue her explanation, but hearing that Ruby was having nightmares eased back her fury slightly. 

"One night, I went to her room and she was crying, saying sorry to something that wasn't there. I helped her back to her bed and she asked me not to leave her alone. That was the first night we slept in the same bed together" Yang noticed that she was making it very clear that she was avoiding any terms that might imply something. "After that, we just kinda continued. She's been sleeping and eating better. You saw her before, she looked terrible, this is the first time she's broken down this badly before." Weiss looked down the hall to where Ruby's door was, and Yang followed her gaze. 

"How long has this been going on for? the two of you..." She asked. Weiss was silent for a moment again as she took a deep breath. "Maybe two weeks?" 

" _Two weeks?_ " Rage exploded out of Yang, Blake quickly moved between the raging blonde and the white haired heiress. 

"Yang, calm down." Blake said as she placed gentle hands her hands on Yang's shoulders, calming her slightly. 

"She's been sleeping with my sister for two weeks, Blake. Nether of them told me!"

"Ruby has been having nightmares for a while now, Noir picked up on it and he told me" Blake said gently as she tried to calm her partner down, doing the exact opposite after saying that. 

"You _knew_ Ruby wasn't okay too?" Yang shook her head and looked between the two of them. Blake's eyes averted as she shook her head. Yang could see the bow on her head gently shift, her cat ears pressing down. "Why am I the last one to know that my sister is hurting" 

"Because, you oaf, you couldn't do anything to comfort her" Weiss snapped back as she tried to square up against Yang the best she could with Blake standing between them, looking up into her eyes, light blue met lilac. "She was scared, hurt and lost, just like you were" Weiss shot a hand out and poked it into Yang's right arm, into her fleshy shoulder that was connected to her metal arm. "How could you have helped her when you couldn't even pull your own head out of your self pity" 

All anger dropped from Yang's body. She was right. Yang was so deep in her own misery that she couldn't see her sister was hurt. With a heavy sigh, cursed herself and closed her eyes, her head hanging in defeat. "Fuck, I'm sorry guys" She said simply. Blake slowly removed her hands from her shoulders and Weiss's expression softened. "I'm sorry for yelling, I'm sorry for being useless-"

"You're not useless, Yang" Blake said gently as she gently took her metal hand in her and held it up for her to see. "You're strong, you just needed a little push" Yang smiled lightly and took a deep breath. Looking over at Weiss, she smiled lightly and cleared her throat. 

"I'm sorry for yelling at you, Weiss" Yang said gently as she stepped past Blake gently and stood before her. "Thank you for helping Ruby" Weiss smiled and nodded. "Your welcome, Yang" She said. Yang spread her arms out and hugged the small heiress tightly. In the middle of the hug, Yang leaned down and whispered into her ear, causing the small woman to freeze like her namesake. 

"But if you try anything funny with my sister, I will break you" 

She released the hug and gave Weiss a grin only Yang could do, and she simply nodded, taking a step away from her. Yang looked down the hall and waited for it to open, hoping Ruby will be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has read, liked and commented on my story so far, it really means a lot to me. On that note, I will be chopping up the story into more part with smaller chapters for my own sanity. So that means part one is going to be coming to a close fairly soon. Only two more chapters before the end, so get hyped!. (If you do not like the story enough for said hype that is understandable) 
> 
> As always, thank your for reading and feedback is always welcome.


	25. Windows to the Soul

Ruby watched as her friends leave the room quietly, leaving her alone with Krimson. With a soft click of the door closing, he turned and pulled a chair up to her bed and sat down facing her. Pulling his red collar down under his chin, he took a deep breath and looked at her for a few moments before speaking. "How long have you been seeing them?" He asked her gently. Ruby dropped her eyes and tried to think, Pyrrha and Roman standing behind Krimson, staring at her with expressionless faces. 

"I really started to noticed them after you saved us from Cinder in Mistral, before that though, I'd see them in my dreams, or I think I saw them from the corner of my eye, but they would be gone when I looked. Right now, they're standing behind you" Ruby said quietly, Krimson nodded slowly and stared at her. 

"How much do you know about the legend of the silver-eyed warriors?" Krimson asked gently, his silver eyes meeting hers. Ruby shook her head. "Not a lot, only what uncle Qrow had told me before. That Grimm are afraid of them, us..." She corrected herself. Again, he nodded as he leaned back in his seat gently. 

"And for good reason, because we hold an ability that can do more than just kill them" He said as he leaned forward gently. "When you kill a Grimm, what happens" He asked lightly. 

"They dissipate, turning into a black smoke" Krimson nodded again. 

"That smoke, is their essence" He began as he spread his hands open. "All their hate, horror and pain is removed from their physical body and goes back to where it comes from, a place called the Void" He said lightly. "And from the Void, they are made manifest again, from the darkness of the Nests and Den Mothers feeding off as a source of power when there isn't enough negative emotions coming from the people of this Remnant, creating Grimm again and again." Ruby listened to him and shook her head gently. 

"Then, how do we win?" 

Krimson was silent and simply shook his head. "We can't" He began. "Its a losing battle, yes" He said gently. "With the hatred in a constant cycle, its impossible to win. The only people that know this information, is the Inner circle, meaning the headmasters of all the main academies, your uncle Qrow, me, and now you." 

"Why so few? Shouldn't that be common information then? isn't there something we can do?"

"Think about it, Ruby. If people learned that this battle, this war of survival could never be truly won, what is the point of fighting" He said to her. "You would have anarchy on the mild side, and mass suicide on the extreme. In order to keep humanity, faunus included, alive long enough to figure out a solution to his problem, they must remain ignorant to this knowledge. So I ask that you do not tell your teammates about this, just as I have hidden this from mine" 

"Your team doesn't know this?" 

Krimson shook his head. "No"

Ruby was silent for a long time, her eyes stung from the amount of tears that poured from just a few minutes ago. His words sinking into her mind. Finally, she looked up at him and wiped some lingering tears, trying her cheeks with the sleeves of her pyjamas. "So, why did you tell me?" She asked eventually. 

"Because, you are like me, silver eyes" He gestured lightly from his eyes to hers. "We have the ability to stop the cycle" She blinked a bit, so much information was making her head hurt slightly. 

"How?" 

"When we activate our powers, we generate a new aura around us, that dissolves the hate and pain from Grimm before it can return to the Void" He gently said. "Though, it puts a great strain on our bodies and we loose ourselves, so we try not to do it often." He rubbed his chin gently. Ruby simply nodded lightly, remembering when she was standing on top of the tower at Beacon one second, then waking up in her bed back at Patch in the next.

"How many of us are out there?' 

Krimson was silent for a while. "Not a lot, not enough to mount any kind of offensive against them" He sighed lightly, "But, given enough time and if me and Qrow, and those who come after us, can find enough people with silver eyes, we just might be able to get a couple of us together and in large enough families so that one day we might be able to mount some kind attack. Though this will probably take many, many generations and even more time." He said with a defeated tone. Ruby listened to him and sighed lightly. 

"So, we'll never see the end of this war?" Krimson shook his head gently. 

"No, not in our lifetimes, but one day. Once day our descendants will wake up in the mornings and forget that such horrible creatures known as the Grimm existed, faded into legends and myths...Remnants of the past that is only taught to those interested in ancient history." That made Ruby feel a little better, that some day the nightmare would be over. Looking up at him he looked into the eyes of Pyrrha and Roman and took a deep breath, it felt different that someone knew what she was going through, that he knew what was going on. 

"So, are we going to talk about why I can see them now?" Ruby asked as she held herself lightly. Krimson nodded as he adjusted himself on the chair. He was silent for a few moments, mulling over what he was going to say before he opened his mouth. 

"Have you heard the saying, 'the eyes are windows to the soul?'" He asked lightly. Slowly, Ruby nodded. "That is more true for us" He was then silent again, deciding again on what to say. "When we watch someone die, when we witness it ourselves, part of their soul becomes part of ours. We capture it, and that person continues to live though us in a way. Their soul becomes a part of ours, making our Aura stronger, making us stronger" He placed his hand on his chest and looked into her eyes. 

"So, in order for us to become stronger, we just go and kill people?" She asked. 

"In a way. However, there are serious consequences in doing so" He began as he ran his hand though his dark red hair with black tips. "Mostly, what you are experiencing now, them staring at you. What do their faces look like?" He asked her lightly. Looking up at them, she studied their expressions before speaking. 

"Emotionless, just staring at me..." Krimson just nodded after hearing that. 

"That means they don't blame you for their deaths" He said simply. "If they had angry faces, that means they do blame you, and might even hate you, if that happens, their soul will never be fully a part of yours, and they will never leave you."

"What? but I let them die! Why don't they blame me?" She asked while looking at them. 

"Did you try asking them?" 

Ruby was silent for a while, her heart started to race. She could talk to them? Did she even want to hear what they thought of her, of her failure to save them. Slowly, Ruby shook her head. "No, I didn't know I could, but, I don't want to talk to them..." 

"Why not?" 

"I'm afraid of what they'll say..." She hugged herself, looking at the ground and wanting to shrink down smaller to avoid their gaze. 

"Just listen to them, open your heart, they might surprise you." 

With a deep breath, she steeled her will and looked up past Krimson to Pyrrha and stared back into her eyes, willing her to speak. Slowly, her expression softened and she gently smiled at the dark haired girl. "Ruby..." She said gently with a smile.Ruby's voice hitched in the back of her throat, just hearing Pyrrha's voice made her eyes well up with a fresh wave of sorrow and failure. A sob escaped her lips as Pyrrha moved around Krimson and his chair and crouched in front of Ruby, gently smiling up at the crying girl. 

"Ruby, please don't cry..." Her green eyes stared into silver ones. 

"But-but I killed you..."

She shook her head slowly, her smile never leaving her mouth. "No, Ruby. You didn't kill me. Cinder did that, and you didn't let me die either, you did everything you could. How could I blame you when you gave it everything you had, and I am proud to have called you me friend. You and Jaune and everyone from our teams, everyone at Beacon, I regret none of it, and if I had to do it all over again, I would never change a thing" Pyrrha said with a smile as Ruby continued to sob into her own hands, failing to contain her sorrow and newly found pride from hearing her friend speak such words to her. 

"So, so you forgive me?" Ruby asked between sobs. 

With a smile, Pyrrha stood up and shook her head. "There is nothing to forgive, because you haven't done anything wrong Ruby" She said as she took a few steps away and stood behind Krimson, standing where she stood before. Ruby nodded and tried her tears. "Look after Jaune for me, I'm sure he'll get into trouble since I'm not there anymore" Ruby nodded and sniffled a bit. 

"He misses you..." 

Her smile turned sad as she nodded. "I miss him too..." 

Suddenly, the other redhead in the room rolled his eyes. "Jeez, if I knew I'd have to listen to this emotional babble I'd kill myself if I could die again" Roman said as he shook his head and began to pace around, his cane swinging in his hand. Ruby had almost forgotten about Roman, eaten by a Griffon on top of an airship that he tried to steal. 

"Roman..." Ruby said gently as she looked at the man. "Do you hate me?" She asked. Roman just looked over at her, thought about it for a moment and shrugged. 

"I mean, don't get me wrong, Red. You kinda did ruin everything about the plan by just showing up...I wish I had killed you sooner, but I don't hate you" He twirled his cane and set it down before leaning on it, pulling a cigar from inside his coat and placing it in his mouth. "But that's what happens when you take a gamble, even one as calculated as that one." He pulled out his flip lighter and held it up to his cigar, igniting it. 

"Sometimes you just-" He clicked it closed. "-lose." He inhaled and looked at her. "I mean, I'm mad at you, I'm upset that I'm dead, more so now that Neo's alone. I'm frustrated that I'll never get to use the money that was promised me, annoyed that I'm now stuck inside your childish heart. But I don't hate you, Red..." 

Ruby looked between the two of them as they started to fade away from her sight. She blinked away her tears until the figures simply disappeared from behind Krimson. Looking around the room, it was quiet. Just Krimson and herself, looking back at him, she blinked some more and wiped her face with her damp sleeves. "Where did they go?" She asked him. 

"They returned to your soul, though they're not standing in front of you now, they are always within you. You can call upon them and talk to them whenever you need to, advice when you need it. Just be sure to be alone when you do that, it makes you look a little crazy since no one else can hear them..." He said with a small smile. Ruby nodded and sighed gently. It felt like a great weight had been taken off her heart, and now she was feeling better than she had in a long time. 

"Better?" He asked gently. Ruby nodded again and smiled at him. 

"Thank you, Krimson" She said gently. He just nodded as he got out of his chair and walked over to the door. "Should I tell them about this? About Pyrrha and Roman? about their souls and mine?" Krimson inhaled gently and looked at her. "When you are ready, I'm sure they'll understand if you decide to wait..." He said as he opened the door and was greeted by Taiyang who was waited by the door. 

"How is she?" He asked immediately. Krimson just held his hands up calmly. "She'll be fine, she just needs some rest and time" He said gently as he moved out of the way to allow her father into the room a plate full of cookies and a glass full of milk to comfort his daughter the best he could. He set them down on the nightstand and sat in the chair Krimson was just sitting and hugged her gently. Hugging him back tightly, she took deep breaths smiled. 

"You doing better?" He asked as he released the hold he had on his daughter. She nodded and dried the last of the tears on her face. "Yeah, Thanks, dad" She said with a smile as she reached over and grabbed a cookie before dunking it for a second and eating it. He smiled and kissed her head gently as the rest of her team filed in slowly, all smiling softly, knowing that she was doing better. 

Seeing them, he took a deep breath hugged her again and got out of his seat and left slowly, leaving her with her friends. Ruby smiled at them as they stood around her and smiled back. "So, what was that all about?" Yang asked as she folded her arms, metal over flesh. 

"Its a silver-eye thing...I don't fully understand it myself, but I promise to tell you guys when I do" She smiled at them. Accepting the answer, Blake nodded and touched her arm gently. "Since everyone is alright, I'm going back to bed" She said as she began to head out of the room. Ruby nodded and looked to Yang and Weiss. Yang leaned over and kissed her sister's head like her father did and gave her a squeeze before turning and leaving. Just before she walked though the door, she looked back at Weiss and made the _'I'm watching you'_ gesture towards the snow haired girl. 

Ruby raised her eyebrow as a noticeable blush crept upon Weiss's cheeks, Ruby reached over and grabbed another cookie, but before she put it in her mouth, Weiss snapped a glare at her. "If you eat that in the bed, I'm not sleeping next to you anymore." Ruby stopped, the cookie hovering in her gaping mouth, frozen and blinking at Weiss. Slowly, Ruby leaned forward and shifted so that her butt landed on the chair across from the bed. She then popped the baked good into her mouth and quickly chewed. 

Satisfied, Weiss moved to the bed and brushed whatever crumbs she made with the first cookie off the side of the mattress. Reaching for another one, she ate it quickly as she looked at Weiss. "Wa wash hat aww abou?" Ruby asked with a mouth full of cookie. 

"Swallow. Then speak, you dolt" Weiss said unamused. Taking a sip from the milk, she swallowed the cookie in her mouth before trying it again. 

"What was that all about?" She asked as she held the glass of milk in both hands. Weiss took a deep breath as she looked around the room. "I...kinda let slip to Yang that we've been sharing a bed..." Ruby just blinked as she took a deep breath. 

"How did that go?" 

"She threatened to break me if I try something." 

"Yeah, that seems about right..." Ruby said with a slow nod as she reached for another cookie. "Back at Signal, there was a boy who had a crush on my, Yang found out and threatened to break his hands if he touched me..." She said with a small smile as she chewed thoughtfully. 

"Well, I'm not planning on doing anything that would make Yang mad at me." She said with a small smile as she sat back on the bed and watched her. "Now hurry up, lets get some sleep" Ruby nodded as she ate the last of the cookies quickly and downed the milk. As Weiss got into the bed, Ruby turned off the lights and got in next to her, wrapping herself around Weiss, they snuggled close together under the blankets and settled in for the night. 

After a few moments, Ruby spoke up. "But how far do you think we can get before Yang finds out?" 

"Shut up and sleep, dolt" She said, the darkness of the room hiding her blush. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Krimson left Ruby's room, her father and teammates funnelled in afterwards. With a sigh, he rubbed his head as a headache began to settle in. From the corner from his eyes, he saw a person standing inside of the opened door of an unused door. A young man with dark brown hair and yellow eyes. Walking past the unused room, he passed several room, each holding more and more people that only he could see. 

Three people. 

Five people. 

Ten people. 

All looking at them looking at him with expressionless faces. Reaching the end of the corridor, he turned and stopped when he saw the entire corridor filled with people standing shoulder to shoulder, staring at him with blank faces. Shards of his past staring at him as he moved past, through them, trying to get to the room he had taken for his own. Opening it, he sighed lightly, just like the rooms he had passed, his own was filled with ghosts staring at him. 

Closing the door behind him as he walked into the room. Pulling the deep red cloak off his body, he hung it on the waiting coat rack and walked to the window that looked over the frozen late. Outside in the snow and wind, people that only he could see in the thousands staring at him. He knew that there were thousands more that he couldn't see behind them, he closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath as he walked to his bed and sat down. Looking up at the group standing in front of him, he looked into the eyes of a child who was in front of them. 

He couldn't have been older than twelve. He had scruffy black hair with deep green eyes. He was wearing a tattered green shirt and black pants, dark leather sandals on his feet. "Lets start with you..." Krimson said quietly as he stared at the boy. 

He took a step forward and opened his mouth. "You killed me" 

"I know"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter I kinda dove off the deep end and started to explain some stuff within my AU, and by explain, I of course mean, I tried to explain things. If you are confused, please ask me and I will be happy to (try to) explain everything to you without giving away future spoilers. 
> 
> As always, thanks for taking the time to read and feedback is always welcome.


	26. Run back Home

Morning came, as it always does for Yang Xiao Long. Annoying beeps coming from her nightstand table, attempted swats to try and silence the device. She had forgotten to take her alarms off since she felt like she got back to her former self, as much as she could with her metal arm. Rolling around onto her side, she reached over and gently scratched Zwei's head gently, earning a slight huff as Yang then scratched her nose. The sudden shock of her cold metal hand on her face woke her much sooner than she really wanted to. In the darkness of her room, Yang held her arm above her head and examined it. A large silver streak down the right side of it from her gauntlet sliding across the arm as it opened and closed during her spars and fights. Gently tracing it with her other fingers, she could feel the pressure from her aura that wrapped around her arm.

Flexing her metal fingers, she was beginning to move deeper into her own mind. Who exactly was Adam, and why was he working with Cinder. Will they get their home back, could they even rebuild. Where was her mother, Raven Branwen, was right now. She was so lost in her own mind, she almost didn't hear hushed yells coming from across the hall. Remembering what had happened last night, with the knowledge of what Weiss was doing with her sister, Yang narrowed her eyes and slowly crawled out of the bed and into the chilly air of winter. Goosebumps formed all over her skin as the cold attacked her when her bare feet hit the hardwood floors of the room. Slowly moving across the room, she opened it in time to hear more arguing, mostly Weiss's voice trying to keep calm. Yang watched as the door opened and a flurry of red petals shot out down the hall, her sister simply calling out to her in less than a second.

"Heyyangbyeyang!"

Yang watched the petals fade away as Weiss ran to the door and yelled down the hall. "Ruby! you can't just do that then run off!" Weiss's face was a deep red and she bit her bottom lip as she expected Ruby to run back down the hall, when she didn't, the white haired woman let out a frustrated groan as she bit her bottom lip. After a few moments, she caught sight of Yang. Looking at her awkwardly, she cleared her throat and took a deep breath. "Morning Yang" The Heiress said politely and calmly.

"What did you do"

"I didn't do anything! She-" Weiss pointed down the hall where no one was standing. Yang just folded her arms and raised her eyebrow accusingly. Weiss looked between the blonde and the empty, dark hallway and gave a heavy sigh. "-did nothing. She didn't do anything either" Weiss said defeated as her head hung lightly. She then began to slowly put her hair back in the off centre ponytail she's known to have as she walked back into the bedroom.

"That's not your room" Yang called out, her arms still crossed over her chest. The door stopped just before it closed all the way to open again as Weiss exited wearing her fluffy housecoat. She closed the door behind her and walked down the hall to her and entered slowly. Satisfied, Yang moved back into her room and looked over at the bed and saw Zwei occupying her spot on the bed. With a sigh, she raised her eyebrow and shook her head. "I guess I'm up now..." She said gently as she walked over and got dressed for the day.

Deciding on her usual yellow low cut top, black shorts with her leather jacket and belt with the half skirt. Messing her hair up as she usually does, she smiled and winked at herself in the mirror on the bathroom after using it before leaving her bedroom. Leaving the door open enough for the dog to leave when he decided that he had slept enough, if that was at all possible.

With a smile, she began to walk down the hall of the lodge, stopping at Blake's door and giving it a gentle knock. Which became much louder than she wanted since she used her metal hand. She waited a few moments and heard a groan come from behind the wooden door, bringing a smile to her face. The door slowly opened just enough to see Blake's tried face. "What...." Blake asked in the best imitation to human speech she could muster. Yang noticed that her bow was off and her cute little cat ears were free to move around gently, bringing a wider smile to the blonde's face.

"I was wondering if you wanted to get some breakfast and a quick spar this morning" She asked with her patented Yang-smirk. Blake just stared into her eyes and sighed after a few seconds. "I want morning tea first..." She said as she opened the door a bit wider to allow Yang into her room. With a smile, Yang walked into the room and looked around gently, watching Blake walk off to the bathroom in the door, her eyes wondering up her long, exposed legs up her black yukata she wore as her sleep wear. As she disappeared behind the door, Yang looked around the room.

Blake went decided on a room that had two smaller beds on either side of the room instead of one larger bed like Yang had. Probably because it had a book shelf, which she quickly filled with books from the library as well as those purchased whenever she was in the city. Yang sat down on the bed that was previously occupied by her partner. She gently picked up the black ribbon that was usually tied on top of the black haired woman. Gently pulling it between her fingers, her normal ones, she felt the smooth silk pass and smiled lightly.

Looking over, she saw a book on her nightstand and picked it up. Examining it, she raised her eyebrow at the title of it. _"Ninjas of love: Volume VI. Hearts of Paradise"_ With a shrug, she flipped it open and began to read a page at random. She obviously jumped right into a good part as she felt her heart skip a beat to go faster as heat began to creep up to her cheeks. She knew none of these characters, but their actions she knew quite well. Swallowing a dry throat as she gently pulled and loosened the scarf around her neck that seemed just a touch too tight suddenly, she turned a page and raised her eyebrow a little higher as things got even more interesting when a third person entered the scene. Yang was so enthralled with what was happening in the fictional work on paper that she didn't hear the water turn off or the door open.

Hearing a very strong throat clear, Yang looked up and saw Blake standing in front of her. An annoyed look on her face as her arms were crossed over her chest and her cute cat ears were pressed against her head. Looking up at her, Yang grinned as she closed the book and handed it back to her. "So, you studying up or just looking for something to do during these cold nights" She said with a grin. Blake rolled her eyes as she made sure her bookmark was still in place before placing the book back in is place on her nightstand.

"That is none of your business..." She said. Yang couldn't help but to notice a little crimson on her cheeks. Yang couldn't help but to grin even more as she stood up and stretched her back a bit. Blake was wearing her usual clothing as well. The white top and black jacket that left her shoulders and stomach exposed. Blake looked down and put her hand out again, waiting. Looking down to her own hand, the black silk ribbon was still wrapped around her fingers. Looking back up to her, Yang tried to take a page out of Ruby's book and pouted. "But you look so cute with them out" Blake remained unmoved as she moved her fingers lightly, waiting for Yang to deposit the ribbon in her hand.

Yang simply shrugged and handed the ribbon back to the one who owned it. She deftly tied the bow around her cat ears and nodded. "Come on, I need something to wake me up" Blake said as she lead the way out of her bedroom and to the kitchen. When they arrived, Ren was standing next to the stove with a kettle, looking over at the women as they entered, he gave them a polite nod. "Morning" He said gently. The two of them nodded back to him as they grabbed cups for themselves. Yang went for coffee while Blake began to get some tea ready.

"How was the third watch?" Yang asked as she poured some coffee for herself.

"Fine, Taang was very quiet, a pleasing chance from what I'm used to" He said with a smile as he poured hot water into a cup and began to walk away. "I'm going to catch some sleep since you two are awake" He said gently as he walked back down the hall towards the rooms. Once Blake was sufficiently awake, they began to eat some breakfast for themselves, as others began to funnel in, they did the same. Cereal, toast and a few other cooked goods, such as bacon, which Yang stole a few pieces, were made. Once everyone was awake and fed, Krimson began to fill them in on what the days plan entailed.

"We are going to go meet with Lady Blackwood at Haven Academy and prepare a backup plan just in case. Team RWBY, I want you to prepare for a mission the day after tomorrow." The red cloaked man pulled out a map of Atlas and spread it across the library table and pointed to a red circle near a set of mountains near the coast of kingdom. "Thanks to Blake's time in the White Fang, we know the approximate location of the most likely base Cinder Fall would be hiding in" He said as he pointed to it. "I want the four of you to be ready for a three day mission into the tundra of Atlas, and I want Noir to-" Krimson looked up and at everyone's face before shook his head. "Where is Noir..."

Yang looked around and did a quick head count. Ruby, Weiss, Blake, Krimson, Grau, Taang, Taiyang, Jaune, Ren, Nora and the airship pilot, Bleu. Amaranth never came to the meetings in the first place since Krimson said to her that it was too dangerous for the Winter Maiden to go out on missions. Leaving Noir, the only one not here.

"He's probably still sleeping." Grau said simply as he looked over at their leader, who shook his head and put his face into his hand with a heavy sigh.

"Can someone please go wake him up?"

"OH! I'll go!" Nora cleared the table in a single jump and rushed though the double wooden doors and ran down the hall towards the rooms. Without removing his hand from his head, he sighed again. "Can someone please go with her so that he doesn't _kill_ her?" Yang smiled as she got out of her seat and began to walk towards the door, Ren next to her, shaking his head. She had often heard the aftermath of Nora trying to wake the wolf faunus up against his will. It often ended with lots of yelling and items being thrown at the offender, usually Nora. In this case, definitely Nora.

By the time Yang and Ren caught up with Nora, who was actually waiting for them before unleashing her master plan. Whatever that might be. Entering Noir's room, she realised that he had taken one of the larger ones, it had a large bed and enough room for a table with a set of chairs around it. All over the floor, his clothing were strewn, Yang carefully walked around discarded pants and shirts as Nora simply tread though anything on her way to Noir's bed, where the man in question lay.

Yang knew she snored loudly, even if she didn't believe so before meeting her teammates, but after three separate audio recordings of her during the night, a different one from her teammates, she now believed she sounded like a Beowolf in mating season when she snores. If that's what she sounded like, then Noir sounded like a nest of angry Rapier Wasps.

Looking around the room, Yang noticed a cloth draped over part of the small circle table, one of his pistols lay on top. Looking over to Noir, he was laying on his side/stomach, his feet bare feet poking out from under the blankets that he had wrapped around his body. Half his face was buried into his pillow as Nora stopped next to him and began to poke his exposed face, gently saying _'boop'_ as she did so, only getting slight twitches from his wolf ears on the top of his head as a response. As Nora began to torment the man, Yang's attention was drawn to a framed picture he had on his nightstand. Picking it up, she looked at it and saw it was a photo of a team of hunters, similar to what she had done with RWBY when they were first created.

Yang examined each of the four people in the photo, starting left to right. First was a young woman with white hair and deep blue/purple eyes. She had a large smile on her face as she had her arm around the neck of the guy next to her. Yang immediately realised it was Noir from his green and blue eyes. He was wearing his hat that hid his wolf ears. He was giving the camera his usual wolfish grin as he tried to fight the woman off but failed. Next to him was another young man with auburn hair green eyes. He also had his arm wrapped around Noir, the picture caught him mid laugh. The last person in the frame was another guy, his black hair, dark skin yellow eyes looking at the rest of his team. He was in mid face palm at the antics of his friends. All of them looked quite happy, it must have been almost six years since the picture was taken, judging by how old he looked now. Gazing back up to Noir to try confirm how old he was, she was surprised that he was still not awake despite Nora's constant poking and booping.

Suddenly, his right, green eye opened up and began to scan the room for the source of what woke him up. The single green eye settled on Nora, who only grinned. "Nora..." Noir began, his voice so heavy in his accent that Yang wasn't even sure if it came from a language on Remnant. "If you are still standing there by the time I count to three-"

"Tree?" Nora asked as she tilted her head confused.

"Three!" He more or less yelled at her. "If you're still here at the count of three, I will pull every inch of my hate from my soul and drive it into your skull..." He warned her as he closed his right eye and began to count. "One..."

Nora moved from one side of the bed to the other, her grin never leaving her face.

"Two..."

The red haired woman extended her leg out and placed her foot under the bed. Ren came up and tapped Yang's shoulder. Looking at him, he gestured her to get out of the way and she obliged, standing near the door as Noir finished his countdown.

"Three."

At that, Nora used her foot and lifted the bed up, flipping it over with ease, causing Noir to become trapped under the mattress and wooden frame. Yang watched as nothing happened for a few seconds. Suddenly, the bed was thrown off him with force as Noir stared at him with the look of a thousand angry Grimm, his missing pistol in his hand. "I WILL MURDER YOUR SOUL!" He yelled out as he pointed the gun at Nora's face, who simply giggled. Before he could pull the trigger, Ren quickly cleared his throat.

"Krimson is needs to talk to you." Noir looked over at Ren and then back at Nora, who was grinning. Really thinking it was a good idea to just shoot her right now, luckily, he decided against it and dropped his weapon. "Fine" He groaned out as he set his pistol on the table and began to scratch the mess of black hair on top of his head and started to dress himself with the clothing on the ground. Nora then corrected the bed and even went so far as to make it for him. Noir simply nodded to her and finished getting dressed when he pulled the toque over his head and hid his wolf ears. Just before he left, he looked around the nightstand for something. Realising that she was still holding the picture, she put it back in front of him. "Sorry, I was just curious" she said gently.

Noir nodded lightly as he tilted the picture just right so it was facing the bed. "Who are they?" She asked lightly, a small smile, not a smirk or a grin, a smile formed on his face. "My old team. Team MOON. Bunch of troublemakers we were..." He said with a small laugh at the memory. He walked to the table and began to put his weapons on his thigh holsters. "We managed to ride a Nevermore right into the headmaster's office during initiation, boy was he mad" He said as he turned and walked out the door, a smirk on his face.

The four of them arrived at the main lobby of the lodge, where the other members of team KNGT were waiting, as well as Taiyang. "So, where we going?" Noir asked as he walked up to them.

"Well, we're going to talk to Lady Blackwood about a backup plan, but you're staying here to protect the Maiden and get team RWBY ready for a mission the day after tomorrow, which you are leading them" Krimson stated simply as they slowly began to head towards the door.

"Hold up, you are not putting me in charge of a house full of hormonal teens for an entire day!" Noir said as he gestured to said young adults who were standing there.

"Yes, I am. Besides, Lady Blackwood doesn't exactly like you" Krimson said simply as he folded his arms over his chest, hidden behind his red cloak.

"She doesn't hate me..."

"Noir, she kicked you-"

"Lots of people have kick me"

"-Out of her office-"

Noir just shrugged and made a face.

"-Window"

Noir was silent for a few seconds, trying to think of something. "That was one time"

"Three times" This was Taang that corrected him this time. Yang just smirked gently as a few giggles from the other 'hormonal teens' that were watching the scene.

Noir just pointed to the muscular, scarred man threateningly. "Hey, he doesn't need your help."

"Noir." It was Grau's turn to butt in. "You slapped her ass"

Noir just moved his threaten finger to the armoured man and glared at him. After a few moments, Krimson just shook his head. "Get them ready. We'll be back later tonight" He said simply as the three of them plus Taiyang left to go to Haven academy.

When the door closed behind them, Noir looked at them and took stock of what he had to work with. He moved in front of them and looked each of them in the eye. "Do whatever you want, ya bastards. Just don't get wasted before I do...." With that, he left them and went towards the kitchen.

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Blake was very surprised how quickly Yang had gotten used to her new arm, even more so as she was using it to her advantage during their sparing match. Taking hits that would just barely chip the black and yellow paint that would otherwise lead to serious injuries. Blake was quickly running out of options on how to just keep her aura at a stable level, never mind trying to beat the busty blonde.

Using one of her clones to avoid another right hook, she leap back as Yang's metal fist collided against its neck, breaking the illusion. Reminding Blake that she needed to talk to Weiss about getting more Dust for her weapon so she could make elemental clones again. Standing a good few yards away from Yang, her eyes red and a smirk on her face that just didn't seem to go away, she tilted her head from one side to the other, earning a crack from the strain. "What's the matter, Blakey" Yang asked as she began to walk towards her partner. "running out of ideas?" The yellow woman asked her as she brought her fists up and got ready for her next attack.

Blake narrowed her eyes at her taunt. She changed Gambol Shroud into its smaller version and threw it at her, the black ribbon trailing behind it. A tried and true method of trapping one of Yang's arm and coming in for a clean hit. However, not for the first time during this sparring session, Blake had forgotten that her arm was metal now and felt no pain. Yang simply grabbed the weapon out of the air, blade first. With a smirk, she wrapped the ribbon around her arm and got ready to yank the raven haired woman towards her, knocking her off balance. Blake had two options, either get put off balance, or release her grip on the ribbon, relinquishing her weapon to Yang.

Deciding on the latter, she released the other end of the black ribbon and charged towards Yang, who simply dropped the weapon on the ground. Bladed sheath in hand, Blake used her feline finesse to out manoeuvre Yang and stay just out of her reach. Summoning up two other clones, she made her move to end this bout, Yang's eyes quickly looked between the three of them and took a swing at the left most one, By some lucky stroke, Yang had chosen the right one. Blake had just enough time to bring the sheath up to block the powerful hit, knocking her to her knees. Just before another punch came down on the cat faunus, someone yelled the end of the match.

"Aura out! Yang wins!" Nora cried out happily, scroll in hand as she jumped out of her seat and waved her hands around. Yang took a deep breath and took a step back, her red eyes turning back to the beautiful lilac of before. Her metal hand came out and Blake accepted the help to her feet. She used the back of her hand to wipe a trail of sweat off her forehead and smiled at Yang, who smiled back and was breathing just as hard. With a silent nod, the began to walk off towards the hallway. "You're getting really good at using your arm in combat" Blake said with a smile while putting her weapon away on her back. Yang just smiled and winked at her.

"Yeah well, it took a while to get used to it" She said as her turned into the locker room and Blake continued on. Yang noticed her partner was no longer next to her and quickly ran back out to the hall. "Where are you going, the locker room is here" Yang said.

"Oh, I like the shower in my room" Blake said gently as she stopped and turned to Yang, who just rolled her eyes.

"Blake, we all know your a faunus now, you don't need to hid it from the people here" Yang gently said to her as she folded her arms lightly. "Besides, the showers in here have way more pressure, it feels great. Trust me" Blake just watched her partner for a few moments before letting out a sigh.

"Fine"

Yang let out a triumphant grin and followed the faunus girl into the womens locker room. Blake found a locker that wasn't already claimed by one of the other females in the lodge and pulled the towel out of it began to take her clothing off, gently placing it inside. As she was taking off her shirt, the back of her mind was filled with animal instincts that told her she was being watched by a predator. Quickly looking over at where the feeling was coming from, all she saw was Yang, standing there in her bright yellow top and her just tight enough shorts. Her lilac eyes glued to the raven haired woman's behind.

With a heavy sigh, Blake rolled her eyes and looked back at Yang. "Could you please not stare at me while I'm changing?" She asked as she began to take her pants off.

"Nope" Yang said with a pop. Blake rolled her eyes again and finished undressing. Wrapping a towel around her body, she began to walk towards the showers when Yang cleared her throat. Looking over at her, the blonde began to perform the ancient art of the Xiao Long eyebrow waggle. After spending so much time with her partner, she quickly deciphered the dance and nodded gently. Reaching up, she untied the bow that hid her ears from the public and placed it on top of her clothing inside her locker. Satisfied, Yang continued to get undressed as Blake walked up to the showers, hung her towel on the rack, and turned it on. Yang was right, these did have a lot more pressure.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the golden locks come up to the shower head next to her, and she did her best to ignore the stares from her, which was becoming increasingly difficult. "Stop being so shy, Blake. Its not like I haven't walked in on you enjoying one of your books before" Blake just shook her head and continued to wash her body as Yang continued to talk.

"But I've got to admit Blakey, you've got some good **_ass_** -ists" Blake rolled her eyes hard enough she was sure they were about to pop out of her skull, somewhere in the large lodge, Noir probably became angry for no reason.

"I mean, look at them legs. That tone tight behind" Yang made a noise like she just ate a perfectly cooked chunk of steak. _Ignore her and she'll stop._

"And that yummy tummy"

 _Dust damn this woman._ Blake thought as Yang grinned and continued.

"And then there's-" Her voice cut off suddenly, Blake knew that she didn't see something that liked. Looking over to the blonde woman, Blake couldn't help her eyes wonder over her voluptuous figure. Curves in all the right places. Strong athletic legs. Toned flat stomach, just by looking at it, Blake could see the faint hints of rippling muscle just beneath the skin. Her arm firm with muscle. Her golden hair still beautiful, even if it was soaking wet and hugging her body, covering her her breasts in a teasing manner.

But her eyes were filled with worry and concern, the happiness and joking gone. Blake followed her gaze to her own body, her amber eyes locked onto a bright, angry red scar on her right side of her otherwise pale skin. Memories flashed in her mind. _"I will make it my mission to destroy everything you love."_ His voice echoing though her mind as the blade descended into her stomach. Her cry brought Yang to him, he then cut off her arm. Gently, Blake placed a hand on the scar, covering it as she quickly turned off the shower and moved to leave. A black and yellow arm stopping her.

Blake couldn't look at it, that arm, that metal attachment, her failure to protect her current partner from her former. Looking away from her, her ears pressed against her head. "Please, just let me leave"

Suddenly, the arm came around and grabbed her. Blake found herself wrapped in Yang's arms, the soft, warm flesh of her left around her back. The hard metal on around her front, warmed by the water. Blake tried to fight the embrace, but she couldn't get out of the brawler's grasp.

"Never" Yang said in her ear. "I'm never letting you leave me, never again" She said gently as she pulled her closer. Blake remained silent as Yang continued to talk, her yellow hair blocking her eyes. "You are my partner, you left me once already, and it broke my heart" She said simply, the sound of falling water filling the silence as Yang took a shaky breath. "Just like my mother"

Blake froze. She didn't know what to do. Yang rarely talked about her mother, not since when they were both back at beacon. Feeling horrible being compared to the woman who abandoned her daughter in her infancy. Blake was too young to really know her own parents, but they had died, not run off. Before Blake could say anything, Yang had released her hold on her and gently cupped her face with both hands, forcing Blake to look into her eyes. "But you're different" She said softly.

Blake shook her head gently. "How...how am I different than your mother" Blake asked, her own voice shaking while staring into her eyes. "I ran. I ran away because I was scared of what you'd think of me. I ran just like she did to you. How am I different than her?" Blake asked desperately. Yang just smiled gently as she leaned in and suddenly kissed her lips.

Blake's eyes widen at the suddenness of this, her eyes fluttered closed and she found herself kissing against her soft lips, wet from the shower. For a few, blissful moments, Yang pulled back from the kiss slowly, a gentle smile on her face. Blake gently blinked slowly, her mind coming back to her a few pieces at a time. A gentle bite of her lower lip as she searched the lilac eyes in front of her.

"You came back" Her voice was a whisper. Barely audible with her faunus ears. Blake looked into her eyes and smiled gently. "I'll always come back to you" Blake said gently as she leaned in slowly, it may have only been a few moments, but she wanted more of it. _Needed_ more of it. More of **her**. She was about to get it when the moment was ruined by something neither of them were expecting.

"Awww...."

Slowly, the two women looked over and saw Nora standing at the entrance to the shower area of the locker room, a large grin plastered across her face. "I knew you two would be cute together" Everything clicked in her mind at the same time. Blake and Yang were hugging each other in the shower, naked and wet. Blake slowly gulped down as she felt heat coming off of Yang's body. Looking up, she could see Yang's lovely lilac eyes turn a dangerous red.

"Nora...." She growled angerly as she slowly detached herself from the faunus girl. Nora just giggled as she began to slowly back towards the entrance. "Nora..." Yang said a bit louder, the other woman began to pick up speed heading towards the door. "NORA!" She took off running though the door, Yang took off into a sprint, but as soon as she planted one step outside the shower area, her foot came out from under her, causing her to slide across the ground into the lockers, falling to the ground ungracefully. Blake just sighed and slapped her hand to her face, such was her life now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. So I know I said that there was only going to be two more chapters, but it turns out that I'm not very good at keeping a posting schedule. Really sorry, but part one is ending soon. 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who had taken the time to read, kudo and left a comment. As always, feedback is always appreciated and thank you for reading.


	27. Game Plans

With Yang being distracted by a spar match with Blake, Weiss thought now would be a good time to talk to Ruby about what had happened this morning, but finding the scythe wielder proved harder than initially thought. She wasn't in the workshop, the kitchen or her bedroom. Weiss had even laid out a trap, a plate full of cookies on a table, that too was fruitless since the entire contents of the plate disappeared in a flash of red petals. Her search was interrupted by Jaune walking down the hall towards her. "Hey, Weiss" He said with a smile.

Though she had to admit, despite completely loathing the blond haired goofball of a knight, he had become one of her friends at beacon, the same could be said of Nora, Ren and Pyrrha, when she was still around. He was smiling, he was healing. "Jaune" Weiss said politely as she looked at him. "I don't suppose you've seen Ruby, have you?" The man shook his head gently.

"No, I haven't, I was actually wondering if you would like to play Remnant: The game with us? Ren found a box and Noir agreed to play, even had one of the older expansions" Weiss thought about it for a few moments. Her search for her partner had come up empty, something to get her mind off what the two of them had said would be nice. With a nod, she followed him down the halls and to the library where the game was already set up. Noir was sitting at one end of the table and Yang at the other, apparently, Jaune had also come to her as well. Nearby, Blake was sitting at another one of the tables and was reading a book. Next to her was Nora, who was simply giggling gently. Earning a death glare from both members of her team.

Sitting across from Jaune, Weiss took the Atlas kingdom, Yang had Mistral, Jaune was left with Vale when Noir took Vacuo. With the armies set up, the cards were dealt out and the game began. Weiss looked though her hand and shook her head. She didn't recognise any of these cards, she was busy reading through their effects when Noir began his assault on Atlas. Apperantly, he knew this version of this game, he barely looked though his cards and easily destroyed most of her army before Yang had to step in and help out, only for her to take advantage of how thin her army was and start to siege the Altasian capital. Apparently, Yang still hasn't forgiven her for what had transpired last night.

During the attack, Noir turned his gaze to Jaune, he easily pushed though his defences, using his previous knowledge of this games version, he made short work and controlled the entire continent, with Jaune out and Weiss about to loose, it was all out war between Yang and Noir. Their armies moved against each other as both parties gained and lost territory. Just when it looked like Noir was going to win, Yang threw a card down with a grin. "I play the Emperors Chalice! Making my army invincible!" Weiss understood why no one played this expansion anymore, it was far too easy for it to become greatly one sided.

With her army unkillable, Yang marched over the board and grinned as she forced Noir back into his capitol. Though he did not seem worried when he drew a card and smirked a bit. "Okay, this is why this expansion sucks" He said gently as he played a card down for everyone to see. The title was _"Red Reaper"_ The picture had a large being in a dripping red cloak, large angel wings stained red. A skeletal hand held a large ornate scythe in one hand and a glowing glue flame in the other. The reaper was standing over a man who was crying out and backing away from him. Weiss skimmed over the flavour text and read the card effect. **"All card effects that say 'cannot be kill' must be removed from game"** Making Yang's immortal army mortal again.

With a face, Yang discarded the card as Noir played his next card. _"Moon shatter cataclysm"_ The picture was that of a newly shattered moon exploding. Ignoring the flavour text, she quickly read the card. **"All armies loose three quarters of their forces, rounded up"** This meant Yang just lost almost all of her army, and Noir lost just a fraction of that. With her army so thin, Noir easily used his kingdom advantages to kick her out and recover faster, taking her out with ease shortly after. Yang just sat there, unbelieving that she was defeated so easily. Noir just had a knowing smile as he began to clean up his army. "Good plan, Fist. But the fates were against ya" He said as he placed his models back inside the little box. "If you had a Maiden in your hand, you could have used that to turn the tides..." He then looked at his scroll and scowled. "Speaking of Maidens, I suppose I should bring something to ours...she hasn't come out for anything yet."

"I'll bring her some food, if you want" Jaune said as he stood up and looked at him. Noir thought about it for a few moments before nodding. "Sure if you want. Thanks..." He said with a nod. Jaune then left to get something ready for the Winter Maiden. The three of them continued to clean up the game when Yang spoke up again. "So, what academy did you go to Noir?" She asked as she got up and began to clean up her own army. Weiss was already cleaned up since she was knocked out so early.

"I went to Shade. Before that me old man put me in Shadow primary combat when he found out I can use my an Aura. Though it isn't anything fancy like you lot. I can just see everything in really good detail" He said gently as he put things away inside the large box.

"Where are you from exactly?" Weiss asked as she looked over the game board. Noir looked over it and began to trace his finger around the Vacuo coastline until he settled on a small island between the kingdom of Vacuo and the northern neighbouring continent. "I was born here, little place called Shrubs" He then dragged his finger down south to where two tiny islands were just north of the main kingdom, Weiss had to strain her eyes just to see the tiny islands. "But I was raised in the Highland Islands. Not much there, just sheep, cold winds and arseholes, far as the eye can see" He said with a smirk as he began to leave the room.

"Is that's where she's from?" Yang asked as she watched him leave. He paused for a moment. "Yeah..." And continued on out of the library. Weiss watched him leave as Yang voiced her concerns. "Its amazing how he managed to get a girlfriend" She said with a shake of her head. This earned a giggle from Nora and death glares aimed towards her. Weiss just narrowed her eyes and began to think. _He does have a girlfriend..._

It didn't take long to find Noir's room, she just had to follow the ear piercing guitar noises and deafening drums. Walking thought he open door, she saw his clothing thrown around and his bed surprisingly made, even it was done in haste. It reminded her of how Ruby and Yang were after the first week, after Weiss had given them an earful that dirty laundry does not belong in piles on the floor. Making her way to the open bathroom, she knocked on the door to see a shirtless Noir, his face covered in white foam. His shirt and hat sitting on the toilet and he was bobbing his head to the beat of the music. Weiss noticed the large tattoo on his back and the long angry scar that ran from his right shoulder down to his left hip, the bottom of the scar hiding somewhere inside his pants. The red scar bright against his tanned skin.

She was about to knock on the door again, thinking that he missed it when how loud the music was, until he turned around, pointed at her and began to sing along with the music, if it could be called singing. It was some strange combination of a growl and a scream. He sang at her for a few moments, which got him an unimpressed look on her face as he lowered his arm and rolled his eyes. "You're no fun..." He said simply as he turned the music down. "What can I do for you, Snow Queen" He asked as he looked at himself in the mirror and continued to shave his face, leaving the strip of beard from his bottom lip to his chin intact.

"I need...relationship advice" Weiss said quickly, pushing through her embarrassment on the subject. Earning a shocked gasp and losing his grip on his razor. Noir began an amusing, one handed juggling act to try and catch the razor without cutting himself. He did a pretty good job as he gripped it firmly and looked over at her.

"Can you say that again, in my good ears?" He asked as he leaned in and cupped the wolf ears on top of his head.

"I need relationship advice" She said again, looking at the ground and blushing.

"Yeah, thats what I thought..." He said slowly as he looked at her for a few moments before looking at the mirror to continue his shave. "I think Jaune is still working though his last relationship..." He said simply as he examined himself in the mirror. "As short as it must have been." Weiss looked up at him and began to trip over her words.

"Its not Jaune!"

"Ah, then its Lil' Red" He said simply as he looked over at her with a wolf smirk. "Well, you want to start with your hands, start on her stomach and work your way down-"

"Not that kind of advice!" Weiss shouted, she could see her face in the mirror and saw that it was an alarming shade of red.

"Well, you're already in her bed, that's kinda the end result"

Weiss's mouth just opened and closed, trying to find something to say, but her mind was racing with imagines and ideas that Noir popped inside of it. She slowed down and took deep breaths to try and calm herself before speaking again. "I want to know what she's thinking" She finally said.

"What, you think I know how she thinks!?" He asked her as he shaved.

"You have a girlfriend, you know how people think"

"I don't know shit! I'm a man! I have no idea what women think! Women know what women think and they hate each other!" Noir finished shaving and washed his face before drying off and turning towards her.

"Alright, you want to know what Lil'Red is thinking, right?" He asked her. Weiss just nodded slowly.

"You want to know her every thought, all the truth and pain that comes with it?"

Weiss hadn't thought about it, but after this morning, she needed to know what Ruby was thinking about her. Slowly, Weiss nodded.

"Alright, this is what you do" He said as he looked into her eyes. Which wasn't hard to do since he was barely taller than she was, which wasn't saying much. She listened to him as he opened his mouth and told her what she needed to do to get Ruby to open up to her.

"Get her drunk"

Weiss just stared at him. His words slowly making sense to her, only making her bile rise in her throat. _"WHAT!"_

"Get her drunk..." He said again, as if she didn't hear him the first time.

"Why!" She yelled at him as she stomped her foot onto the ground.

"Because, Snow Queen. Drunk words are sober thoughts" He explained to her as he began to put his black and white plaid shirt back on as well as his toque. "They hide their thoughts so they don't say something that might upset someone, but when their drunk, they just don't care" He said to her as he walked past her and looked at her.

"I'm not getting her drunk!" Weiss said as she followed him though his room. He shrugged simply as he looked at her and smirked.

"Well, I guess you won't know for a while" With that, he walked down the hall with his hands in his pockets and a whistle though his lips.

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It was well into the evening when Noir walked into the banquet room where all the good alcohol was located. Taking a short sprint, he jumped up onto the bar and slid over it with ease and landed on his feet on the other side. He began to look around the wall at all the different bottles of golden goodness that lined it. Examining each bottle, he came across one with a light brown, cream colour liquid inside of it. Reading the label, he made a face as the sound of cookie flavoured drinks made his stomach turn.

Just as he was about to put the bottle back, a little voice came from behind him and he looked over at her. "Hey, Noir" Ruby said as she walked up tot he bar with a folder in her hands. "Have you seen Yang? I want to show her something" The small scythe wielder said as she raised an eyebrow at him. Noir just stared at her like the gods themselves have given him all the tools he needed to help someone else. With a small grin, he shook his head.

_Oh, Snow Queen. You're going to hate me now, but you're going to thank me later_

"No I haven't. Sorry Lil'Red" He said as he walked up to the counter and placed the bottle onto the counter. "I was just looking at this bottle, wondering who in their right mind would drink something that tastes like a chocolate chip cookie..." At that, her silver eyes lit up and stared at the bottle.

"Does it actually tastes like cookies?" She asked. Noir just shrugged as he opened it and took a sniff.

"Well, it smells like them..." He gave a theatrical sigh and looked at her. "Want to try it?" He asked her with a raised eyebrow. The young girl looked nervous as she looked between the bottle and the man who suggested it.

"Am I even allowed to? I'm still underage..."

Noir shrugged and made a face. "I'm not selling it to you, I'm giving it to you. Totally different" He then pulled out a glass and set it on the counter with a raised eyebrow. Ruby just looked at the bottle and the glass and took a deep breath.

"Maybe just...a try"

\---------------------------------------------------------------

Yang was on her way to the kitchen for a snack before bed when she heard laughter coming from the fancy room with the wooden tables, the piano and the bottles of booze that she tried to loose herself before. Blake had helped her, and she had kissed her. Better yet, she kissed back. Yang had walked with a spring in her step for the rest of the day, she and Blake hadn't talked much since then, but they smiled at each other, which was great.

Turning into the room, she saw Noir and her little sister were sitting at a table, glasses and bottles of alcohol on it. They were both laughing when Yang approached. "Wait wait wait!" Noir said with a grin. "You actually exploded?"

"Yeah! She was shaking the canisters around and then I sneezed. Then everything went _BOOM!_ " She threw her arms into the air above her head and almost fell out of her chair, Yang noticed her words were slightly slurred as she told the story, Noir howled with laughter. Catching sight of the blonde, he smiled at her and lifted a his glass towards her.

"Fist!" He called out happily. Spinning around in her seat, Ruby smiled brightly and threw her arms up in the air again.

"Yang!" She cried out happily, nearly falling out of her chair again.

"Ruby? Are you drunk?" Yang asked looking at her. Her eyes went to Noir, she could feel her anger rising. "Are you getting my baby sister drunk?"

Noir began to wave his arms while shaking his head. "No no no! If anything, she's buzzed" He said as Ruby giggled and took another sip of whatever she was drinking.

"She's underage!"

"He gave it to me, Yang. Not sell it to me. Totally different!" She said with a smile. Noir just pointed at her, happy with her answer. Yang was about to say something, quiet angerly, when Noir spoke up again.

"I seem to recall, that someone turned sixteen, and remained sober for the event" He said as he quickly got out of his seat and ran over to the bar. He hopped up and slide across the counter and landed with grace as he grabbed a bottle and three smaller glasses. Leaping and sliding again, he came back to them and smiled at them. "Now, this is a bit stronger than what you've been drinking so far, Lil'red, but it's just a shot" He said as he set the three shot glasses down and expertly poured the amber liquid. He handed one to Ruby and held it, taking a sniff of it and making a face.

"It smells like cinnamon" She said with a small smile.

"Well, its cinnamon whiskey, so I should hope so..." Noir said with a smile as he lifted the second one and held it to Yang. "Fist!, Care to take a shot in late celebration of your sisters sweet sixteen?" He asked with a smile. Yang just glared at the drink and up at Noir.

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It was getting rather late, and Weiss hadn't seen Ruby all day. Now she was laying in her bed, the night surrounding her, warm blankets covered her, and sleep could not come to the young heiress. For the better part of two weeks, she had been sleeping in the arms of Ruby Rose, and now her presence was sorely missed.

Tossing and turning, trying and failing to sleep without the little red girl in her arms, she sighed and wondered where she was now. She didn't hear her enter her room, so she was some where in the lodge, but team JNPR had volunteered as the watch tonight. She was going to try and turn to her other side again when laughter could be heard down the hall.

Getting out of her bed. She put her house coat on over her nightgown and opened the door as the laughter got closer. Opening the door, she poked her head out and witnessed something she would have never though she'd see. Ruby Rose was being held up by Noir Handa, and they were laughing. When Noir saw her, he smiled and waved at her. "Oh thank fuck! We found your room Lil'red!" In his arm, Ruby threw her arms around a bit.

"Yay!" She called out as Noir released her and she stood on her feet.

"Ruby, are you drunk?" Weiss asked, aghast.

"Phht! No..." She tried to lean on the wall, only to miss her mark and fall against it, doing her best not to fall onto the ground. "Maybe..." Weiss shook her head and looked at Noir. "Is this your doing? You. You...Rapscallion!"

Noir looked at her with a shocked face and a very theatrical gasp. "You take that back!" Weiss looked back at Ruby and shook her head at her. "What would your sister say if she saw you like this?" She asked.

"There you are!" Weiss looked down the hall, Noir and Ruby looking down as Yang walked up to them. A small smile came to her face, she was ready to witness the heavy hitter of team RWBY to dish out some justice against the man before them. As Yang came up towards them, she missed her step and fell face first into the hardwood hallway floor. Her hand came up, holding a glass with something inside of it. "I didn't spill my drink!" She called out happily.

No force in the world could stop Weiss Schnee from performing her facepalm in the dark hallway. "Probably that, since she's just as plastered as you are..." Weiss mumbled under her breath as she shook her head. Slowly, Yang got to her feet and giggled lightly as she grinned at Weiss. From down the hall, a door opened up and Blake walked towards them in her usual sleep wear. "What's going on out here?" Balke asked as she approached them. "Both our partners are drunk..." Weiss said gently as she shook her head.

"Hey Blakey" Yang said as she waved her hand lightly at her. Ruby and Noir just giggled drunkenly at the cutesy name. After a little bit, Noir cleared his throat and gently pushed Ruby towards Weiss. She stumbled towards her and fell into her arms. "Here you go..." He said simply as he took the glass from Yang before doing the same to her towards Blake. "Your problems now" He said as he began to walk away.

"Hey wait!" Weiss said as she tried to keep the red woman from falling onto the ground. Noir just looked back at her and smiled, downed what was in the glass that Yang had and tossed the glass up into the air and caught it gracefully.

"Remember what I said, drunk words are sober thoughts" He said with a smile as he began to walk down the hall, all semblance of drunkenness disappeared as began to whistle. Weiss watched him, a small smirk came to her face as the illusion of sobriety was shattered when he missed a step and fell down the stairs, cursing rather loudly when he reached the bottom.

Bringing her friend into the bedroom, she sat her down on the bed and shook her head. "You dolt" She said as she sat down next to her. Ruby had a hard time sitting upright as Weiss sat next to her. "I'm sorry about earlier..." She slurred out slowly. Weiss just blinked and nodded slowly.

"I, may have overreacted when you said that you liked my scar this morning" She said gently. Weiss lightly traced the scarred skin over her left eye gently. "Its a bit of a sensitive topic" Ruby just nodded slowly and looked at her. "I'm sorry...but it looks pretty bad ass on you" She said with a smile. Weiss lightly smiled and looked away from her for a moment.

"Hey Weiss?"

When she looked back over at her partner, she suddenly moved towards her and pressed her lips against her own. Weiss was taken back a bit as Ruby slowly backed away and put her arms up in the air in celebration. "Yay!" She then fell back onto the bed with a happy look on her face. Weiss just gently traced her lips with her fingertips, her lips tingled from the contact of Ruby's soft ones. The two of them remained silent, a soft smile on Weiss's lips.

Suddenly, Ruby say up with her eyes wide an her mouth open. She then shot off the bed and ran towards the bathroom and dove towards the toilet. Weiss's confusion was brought to an end as the toilet seat was opened and Ruby could be heard emptying the contents of her stomach into it. _"It doesn't taste like cookies anymore!"_ She cried out as another series of vomit noises came from the room. With a small smile, Weiss shook her head and got up to help her friend, partner, and hopefully, when she sobers up, her girlfriend.

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Blake quickly learned that a drunk Yang is a clingy Yang. Bringing her to her own bedroom, since Zwei had taken residence on Yang's bed. Blake carried/dragged her partner into her room and dropped her onto the other bed that she never used. Just as Blake was about to go to her own bed, Yang's arm shot out and grabbed hers, pulling her into the bed with the blonde. Blake tried to fight against her embrace but caved in after a while.

"Mine..." Yang said happily as she snuggled against the cat faunus. Blake just did her best to get comfortable against Yang.

"Yours" Blake said gently as she reached over and turned off the lamp that was giving the room its only illumination. Yang happily nuzzled her and spoke. "Blakey Blake is mine" A drunk Yang is also a talkative Yang, as it turns out. Just as she was about to speak again, Blake reached up and kissed her to silence her. Tasting whatever she was drinking this evening. "Quiet time now" Blake said looking at Yang.

"Kay" With that, they slept in each others arms, and Blake understood why Ruby and Weiss were already this, it was something she could get used to quickly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there hasn't really been much of action in the last few chapters, I promise to give you some good action scenes in the next few chapters and up to the end of part one. I really wanted to set up relationships before the ending and I hope I did right by you guys. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and feedback is always welcomed.


	28. The cards we Deal

It wasn't until the afternoon when Krimson, Grau, Taang and Tiyang reached Haven Academy grounds. Parking the two snow vehicles when they entered the city, they made their way by foot. People looked at them and smiled, knowing the signs of hunters. It was odd, Taiyang had to admit, to be recognised not as Taiyang Xiao Long, teacher and single father of two daughters, but rather, simply as a hunter, someone who protects people, who can use weapons and powers that border the line between mortal and godhood.

Admittedly, he hadn't been to the Haven Academy during his time as a hunter, he had always taken jobs from Beacon or the surrounding primary schools, of course he always wanted to visit the other academies, but he just never had time. Between being a hunter, a teacher, and a father to two little girls, he barely had time to sleep when he could. Now their both grown up, women, huntresses even. His attention was drawn back to the matter at hand when he entered the elevator that lead to the headmaster's office. He figured it could easily fit eight people, but with Grau's armour, it was a bit of a squeeze.

Taiyang looked up at Grau and coughed awkwardly. "Ever thought of downsizing?" He asked him. Grau just looked at him and then around him. He then tried to move a bit, causing some more problems. He stepped on Krimson's foot, causing the red man to yell out, Grau tried to step to the side, and proceeded to shoulder check Taang's face. After a few more awkward movements, Grau settled back at the spot he was previous, and did his best to not hurt anyone else. When the doors opened up, it was a godsend.

Looking around, Taiyang noticed that the headmaster's office here looked almost exactly like the one in Beacon. Large gears overhead, marble floor under their feet. all around them, glass covered the walls of the large circle office, overlooking the entire campus and the city nearby. In the middle of the room, a large desk with a screen on it, behind it sat the person they were meeting now. Taiyang now realised that it wasn't the headmaster, it was the headmistress.

The woman in question was quite attractive in her old age. Her dark chocolate skin highlighted the dark grey and black colour of her dreds, pulled back into a ponytail that came over her left shoulder. She was wearing something similar to what Ozpin always wore, a black coat, but instead of pants, she had a dress that rested at her knees. Under her coat, she wore royal blue turtleneck with a simple pendant of a silver line. As they approached her desk, she looked up at them and removed the glasses on her face, revealing her deep purple eyes.

"Lady Blackwood" Krimson said as he pulled the collar down under his chin with a polite nod.

"Mr. Roheas, its good to see you again" She said, returning the nod. She looked over at the team and narrowed her gaze to Taiyang. "I see you've replaced Mr. Handa" She said with a small smile on her wide lips. Krimson looked over and nodded lightly.

"Only temporary, I'm afraid. This is Taiyang Xiao Long." Krimson said gently as he looked around, Taiyang just nodded politely to her, she nodded back as Krimson continued. "Though I do see you've replaced the glass since last time" She nodded simply and got out of her chair, soft clicks from her heals echoed though the room as she moved to the front of her desk.

"Yes, after all, he did make me quiet upset..." She took a deep breath and looked at him. "I understand you've got some knowledge of Cinder Fall? I can't imagine why you would come all the way here if not..." She folded her arms and studied the man before her. Krimson nodded as he took a step forward, the members of team KNGT all spreading out and took up comfortable positions around the circle office. Grau leaned against a pillar, his arms folded over his chest. Taang stood near the elevator door. Taiyang, following suit, sat down in one of the chairs that sat across from the headmistress's desk. Krimson simply began to walk around as he spoke.

"Yes, though we cannot confirm, we believe that Cinder Fall and her accomplices have travelled to Atlas. The day after tomorrow, I'm sending a team there to confirm her if she's there or not" He said gently. The woman nodded as she watched him.

"Who are you sending?"

"Team RWBY as well as Noir" Upon hearing his name, her eye twitched and she rubbed her temples lightly.

"Just hearing his name gives me a headache..." She said slowly as she shook her head. She then pulled out a large scroll and opened it. She began to tap a few things and began to read. "Team RWBY? from Beacon, correct?' She asked as she read though the file. Krimson just nodded as he stood by one of the windows and stared out.

"Yes, though they aren't perfect, they are more than ready to take on a mission like this" He said gently. Taiyang didn't like the way he was talking about his daughters, like pieces of a game to just be moved around, but he remained silent as the two of them continued their conversation.

"Are you sure you trust them with such an important mission, Mr. Roheas? I cannot speak for the entire Brotherhood, but as a member of the Inner Circle, I feel I cannot justify the inclusion of such young hunters and huntress into our battles" She said as she looked over at him. Krimson just turned his head and glared at her.

Taiyang was informed by the members of KNGT of who and what the Brotherhood were as well as the Inner Circle. He understood the need for such people, mass panic and acts that border war crimes would be the norm without them, but he just wished Qrow could have told him this, instead of a man he had only recently met and was using his daughters as soldiers in some secret war.

"Forgive me, Lady Blackwood, but I cannot justify waiting long enough for her to reveal herself" He said as he turned to face her and walked towards her, his silver eyes alight with anger. "It was due to the Inner Circle's inaction that lead to this. That lead to the fall of Vale, the death of the Fall Maiden, and the birth of a Witch. If it wasn't for Qrow going against your backs, there would be no Witch Hunters right now, Mistral would have already fallen and so many more people would be dead right now" His voice was just under yelling volume, but loud enough to make his point across.

Lady Blackwood just watched him and narrowed her eyes once he was done talking. "Qrow asked you to put a team together?" She asked lightly. Krimson just nodded as he walked back to the window.

"Yes, he asked me to get a team ready, he knew something was going to happen, so he came for me four years ago, after that, I got my team ready" He told her as he put his hands behind his back. "I'm not really one for going against the few, _better_ judgements of the Inner Circle..." He finished. The headmistress just tilted her head lightly and smirked.

"I seem to recall more than a few meetings where your presence was absent. You are, after all, a member of the Inner Circle same as we" She said simply.

At that, the other members of KNGT looked over at their leader, surprised. Taiyang also could not hide his expression. During their talks about the subject, Krimson had always shown his dislike, or outright hatred for the group, but hearing that he was part of it, begged more questions than answers. At that remark, Krimson just looked over his shoulder at her and narrowed his silver eyes.

"Too much red tape, I prefer legwork than just talking about it" He said simply as he looked back out the window.

"Qrow does leg work" She pointed out simply with a raised eyebrow. "He did come see you after all, to make sure the Winter Maiden is safe"

At that, Krimson turned around slowly, his brow furrowed. "I haven't seen him since before I arrived in Mistral..." He said as he walked towards her. She shook her head slightly.

"He was with General Ironwood when I sent a message to him about the Winter Maiden, asking him to meet with her" Krimson looked to the ground and thought deeply.

"Maybe he hasn't left yet, when we're there, I'll talk to him about it" Krimson said as he looked up and nodded to her. "On the note of the Winter Maiden, I would like to put forth a motion" Krimson said gently as he put his hands behind his back once more. Lady Blackwood nodded for him to continue. "The state of the Winter Maiden, as it stands, is a cause for concern" Krimson began as he began to walk around a bit. "In her current condition, she is in danger of becoming another Witch, Mr. Xiao Long can explain better than I can, since he's been with her during her stay with us" Krimson gestured to Taiyang and he nodded slightly, a bit nervous in front of the headmistress, and member of the Inner Circle.

"She's kept herself locked in her room, only eating when I bring her something. Only leaving to get a new bottle of booze from the collection in he basement" Taiyang began with a sigh. "The parts where she's sober enough to talk, all she says that she never wanted to be a Maiden, and that's she's afraid of her powers. Saying that she can't control them properly and if she did, she could have helped her friends" He said slowly as he kept his eye on the headmistress. She nodded slowly and folded her arms.

"What do you suggest, Mr. Roheas?" She asked.

"I suggest appointing a Maiden Guard. Someone who the Maiden can trust and lean on. I know the other current Maidens don't have one, but I think it'll be a good idea, like a partner." He said simply. Taiyang understood, it would be good for her to have someone from the Brotherhood looking after her. Lady Blackwood just nodded slowly and looked at him.

"And who would you suggest?" She asked.

"I suggest Taiyang Xiao Long" Krimson responded.

It took Taiyang a few moments to register what he had just said. "What?"

Krimson looked at him and nodded lightly. "I think you are the perfect person to act as her Guard" He said simply as he walked towards her and pulled the second chair so that he was facing him as he sat down. Taiyang shook his head as he looked between Krimson and Lady Blackwood.

"What? but how, you barely know me" Taiyang said shaking his head.

"I've done my research, Tai" Krimson said easily. "You are a very strong man, I understand you went through a lot in your life, after your first daughter was born, her mother left" Taiyang didn't want to be reminded of that. He just looked at the ground as Krimson continued. "Then you found a rock, and a second daughter. Her mother died during a hunt" He _really_ didn't want to be reminded of that. "After that, you raised two daughters on your own-"

At that, Taiyang scoffed rather loudly. "I wasn't the best father" He began. "After Summer died, I became a drunk. I don't know how many years I lost, but I only snapped out of it when Qrow came to my home with my daughters in tow, nearly killed by a damned Grimm because I was lost in a bottle. After that, I swore to never disappoint my daughters ever again" He stared into Krimson's silver eyes, the man nodded lightly.

"Thats why you are perfect" Krimson said simply. "You've been through it, you know what its like, and you can help her pull out of it" He ran a hand though his red and black hair and nodded. "I know you can" Taiyang just sighed and thought about it.

"Is there no one better?" He asked him. Krimson thought about it and looked over at his members and blinked a few times in thought before turning back to Taiyang.

"No, the people I chose, my hand picked team of Witch Hunters, I made sure that" He said slowly. With a confused look on his face, Taiyang stayed silent and listened when he began again. "I picked this team based on their pasts, and the fact that they can, and will take life without question" Taiyang looked over to Lady Blackwood, who simply looked down at the ground. "We may seem like nice people, but we are far from good. We are killers, murders and villains like no others, the only difference is that we've got the moral high ground in some cases" Krimson then got out of his seat and gestured to Grau.

"Grau was his father's personal wet-worker, killing anyone who he named. Grau is responsible for at nearly thirty deaths by his hands, several more by _'accidents'_ " Taiyang looked over at Grau, the quiet armoured giant who spent most of his time in the workshop and was more than willing to guard the nights. The white haired man simply looked down at the ground, shammed by the truth that came from Krimson's mouth. "Taang, he's responsible for the annihilation of three towns and at least three hundred people as well as three hunters" Taiyang's gaze shifted from Grau to Taang, the scarred man also looked down in shame, his shoulders slouched, like his massive gauntlets were suddenly too heavy for his massive frame.

"Then there's Noir." Krimson said as he began to pace lightly. "A bit of a political assassin of sorts, he took hits from both sides of the White Fang movements, White Fang paying him to kill self righteous humans who traded and sold Faunus as slaves, or worse. And from humans who were threatened by White Fang extremists though they had done nothing wrongful. I've managed to piece together a record of at least one hundred and fifty kills by him, two hundred if you ask him personally" Taiyang just shook his head, these people who have helped him, saved his daughters and himself from execution, brought happiness to his family, were killers on an unimaginable scale.

He then looked up at the man. "What about you? what's your count?" Taiyang asked. Krimson stayed silent for a few moments and looked back at him.

"More than you could imagine..." He said simply as he sat back down. "That is why we need you, why we need RWBY and JNPR. KNGT cannot be the heroes of this story, we are the darkness in the light, the poison blade in the back of the dragon as the hero cuts off its head. That is why we cannot help Amaranth, because we are her enemy, but you can be her friend, her Guardian."

After a while of thinking, Taiyang nodded slowly. "Okay, I'll do it..." He said gently. Krimson smiled a bit and got out of his seat and walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you" He said simply as he turned back to Lady Blackwood who only nodded.

"I will inform the rest when I can, thank you Mr. Xiao Long, it really means a lot to us" She said with a small smile. He nodded back at her, unsure what to say. He just sat there as Krimson looked back at the headmistress as she spoke. "Is there anything else before you leave?' She asked lightly.

Krimson nodded and put his hands behind his back. "Yes, While we are gone in Atlas, I want you to convince the council to have an emergency protocol of a city wide evacuation prepped and ready to deploy on a moment's notice" He said with a sigh. "Just in case"

The woman nodded and looked at him. "Just in case" she agreed.

With that, everyone got ready to go, Taang decided that he would go down with Grau first, to avoid anymore trouble in a confined space again. Krimson and Taiyang was standing near the elevator door when Lady Blackwood spoke up again. "Your daughter is Yang Xiao Long, correct?" He looked over and nodded as Lady Blackwood walked forward and held her personal scroll towards him. Both men looked at it and shook their heads, Taiyang couldn't help but to give a chuckle while Krimson facepalmed.

A social media site was loaded on her scroll, the picture had a happy looking Yang and a very happy looking Ruby staring at the camera on the device. They both had their hands around Noir, who was trying to hide his face but failing spectacularly. In their hands, they were holding drinks with obvious alcoholic traits in them, the table to the side, he saw several more glasses and more than a couple of bottles. The username name Fireballin17 was in the top, he knew it was Yang's since he followed her, half out of worry, and half out of a fatherly duty to embarrassed his eldest daughter at every given opportunity. With the tag "sweet sixteen" He figured what it was all about.

"Dust damn it, Noir" Krimson said under his breath. "We're supposed to be hidden from sight..." He said as the door opened up and the two of them got in and went to ground floor. Taiyang chuckling lightly as he took his own scroll out and found the pictures she had posted. "You're not worried about her?" Krimson asked as he looked over his shoulder and looked at them.

"Nah, if he tries anything, she'll just punch him" Krimson just nodded lightly. "Then I'll kill him" Krimson just nodded again.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was well past midnight when the group returned home, Taiyang walked with Krimson into the house as Taang and Grau parked the snow vehicles in the garage around the back. When the door opened, he heard Krimson give a very loud sigh as he put his face in his hand. Something that he must do a lot whenever Noir was involved. Walking in behind him, he saw Noir sprawled out at the bottom of the stairs, snoring loudly.

"Hand picked team, eh?" Taiyang asked with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah...." Krimson said quietly, unimpressed at the sight he saw. Walking up to Noir, he looked down at him and shook his head. "He's kinda cute when he's not annoying" Krimson said as he looked back at Taiyang.

"When is he not annoying?"

"When he's asleep." At that, Krimson kicked Noir's leg hard, causing the wolf faunus to jolt awake and looked around with wide, blood shot eyes. Seeing the two of them, he let out a groan and pressed his hands to his eyes, trying to will a drunken headache away.

"Get up!" Krimson yelled. Noir nodded slowly as he did his best to get to his feet, only to stumble when he got there.

"Could you whisper? maybe?" Noir asked as he looked up at Krimson.

 ** _"NO! NOT REALLY!"_** That made Noir flinch hard and try to swat the air between Noir and the screaming Krimson, trying to quiet him down.

"Where are my daughters?" Taiyang asked as he folded his arms. Noir looked at him and sat down on the bottom step, looking into an empty glass, trying to see if it still had something to drink inside of it.

"Safe, in bed with their girlfriends" Noir slurred simply. Taiyang just blinked at that information and shook his head.

"What?"

Noir just giggled like an idiot as he shook his head. "What, you didn't see them? their partners man!" He said with a grin. "You can't be that blind..."

Taiyang just sighed lightly and nodded. "I know, I just didn't want my little girls to grow up so quickly." Noir nodded quickly and got to his feet.

"You need a drink!" He said happily as he struggled to stay upright.

"You need to sleep" Krimson said simply as he began to push Noir towards his bedroom. With a smile, Taiyang began to walk down the halls towards the Winter Maiden. When he got there, he was surprised to see the room had been cleaned, her clothing wasn't thrown everyone, the various bottles of alcohol were cleaned up and a empty plate of food was sitting on a table. More surprising was the face that Jaune Arc was asleep in a chair nearby.

Walking up to him, he gave him a gentle shake. "Jaune" The young knight jerked awake and looked around. "Oh, Mr. Xiao Long, when did you get back?" He asked as he yawned out and looked around.

"Please, call me Tai. Why are you here?"

"I brought her food today, I wanted to ask her a few things about the Maidens" He said gently as he looked over at the sleeping for of the Winter Maiden. "She didn't really say much, I think she was still drunk..." Taiyang just nodded lightly as Jaune got out of his seat and yawned.

"Go get some sleep, kiddo. Thanks for watching her for me" Jaune just nodded and walked through the door. When he was gone, Taiyang walked up to the sleeping form of Amaranth. She was ungraciously sprawled across the bed, just a light blue tanktop and matching panties covered her, her cerulean tangled and spread out across the pillows. Reaching down, he pulled the blankets over her shoulder and took up the seat where the blonde knight had previously sat. He watched her sleeping for lightly, knowing that deep down inside, it felt good to have to be a guardian again.

His daughters were old enough to take care of themselves, their teammates there where he couldn't, no more band-aids for boo boos. No more checking under the beds for monsters whenever they had nightmares. With a smile, he watched the sleeping form of the woman in the bed, she was maybe ten or fifteen years younger than him. Silently, he vowed that no one else would be hurt under his watch ever again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So who else is hyped for season 4 of RWBY? I'm a bit conflicted on that matter, one the one hand, I'm super excited that its coming back, on the other, it kinda kills the idea that is around my story. But I shall continue, I just need to put a divergent cannon tag starting part 2. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and all feedback is welcome (And important)


	29. Storm Warnings

Morning came as it always did with Yang Xiao Long, but it did not come at the annoying beeping of an alarm from her scroll, or from a whine of Zwei when she sifted her body lightly. Instead, it came with a sneeze. Yang opened her eyes and imminently regretted it. A headache rocked though her brain like nothing she's ever felt before. She let out a groan as she turned and laid on her back, her metal hand coming up and holding her head, the cold metal feeling nice on her skin, but a shift of weight on her left side made her groan. "Zwei, go back to bed" Yang let out a groggy groan. 

"Your hair went up my nose..." 

For half a moment, her brain actually thought that Zwei, the family dog, had learned how to talk. Opening her eyes, pain seeping into her brain, she looked to her side and saw Blake looking up at her with an annoyed look on her face. Slowly, the blonde's brain tried to piece the events from last night back together to try and figure out why Blake was next to her. Coming up with nothing, Yang just gave the faunus girl her best Yang-grin. "Morning"

Blake remained unamused as she sifted lightly against Yang's body. "You're quiet clingy when you're drunk" Yang blinked slowly as a piece of the puzzle slowly clicked into place. She was drunk last night. Means she was drinking before, with Ruby, and Noir. Groaning out a curse word, she placed her flesh hand over her face and shook her head. She cannot believe that got that wasted, a giggle coming from next to her, she opened her eyes and smiled lightly at Blake. She was wearing her usual sleeping attire, her ears bare of any ribbon. Using every once of self control in her body to not rub and scratch her ears. 

Instead, she took stock of her surroundings. One, she was not in her room, she was in Blake's room, point Yang. At some point during the night, she had knocked over the night stand that was next to her bed, point drunk Yang. She did not throw up-, point Yang. -All over her Blake, another point Yang. Looking over, Blake gently draped an arm over Yang's chest and pressed her face into her neck and took a deep breath, point Yang. "Its a little disappointing" Yang said gently. Blake looked up at her and raised her eyebrow. 

"What is?" She asked as she lifted herself up lightly so she could look into each others eyes. 

"We both still have out clothes on" Yang said with a smirk. Blake rolled her eyes and got out of the bed, no points for Yang. After watching her for a few moments, Yang slowly put her feet over the side of the bed and sat up slowly. "Sorry I woke you up with my hair" Yang said as she began to run her hands though her golden locks and began to tussle it, making sure it returned to its messy perfection. 

"I was up about an hour ago, but I couldn't really get out of your grip" Blake said simply as she looked back at her. Yang just rubbed the back of her neck lightly, slightly embarrassed. "I feel bad for your teddy bears when you were a kid" That got a chuckle out of Yang as she looked around a bit. She began to stretch her arms and legs out, and felt something strange in her arm. Rotating her wrist a bit, she could feel a strange click whenever she turned it a certain way. "Ah shit, I think I did something to my arm." She said as she kept doing it and felt it click every time she rotated her wrist the same way. 

"Thats not good" Blake said as she looked over at her and began to walk to the bathroom, a set of clothing in her arms. "Maybe Ruby should take a look at it?" She asked as she closed the door behind her and began to get changed. Even back at Beacon, she always waited for everyone to leave before changing her clothing. Habits are hard to break sometimes. 

"Maybe, I'm sure she'd be over the moon when I ask her." She said gently as she just sat on the bed, finding her boots, she began to pull them on. After a while, Blake came out, fully dressed with a bow over her ears. She gave Yang a soft smile and she returned it. There was silence in the room before Yang spoke lightly. 

"So....." 

"The bathroom kiss?" 

"Yeah..." Yang said as she rubbed her head lightly. The headache was starting to go away, but it still pulsed behind her skull. "Uh, I'm sorry I didn't really ask you about it..." She said lightly. 

Blake just walked up to her and shook her head. "Its okay, Yang. I rather enjoyed it" Blake said as she sat next to her. "Besides, last night I think it became official" Yang just blinked a few times and shook her head. 

"How drunk was I that I put all my clothes on afterwards?" 

Blake just rolled her eyes and shook her head. "We didn't get that far" She said as she sat next to the blonde. "But, I believe your exact words were 'Blakey Blake is mine'" Yang just continued to blink and shake her head. 

"I really need to get more original pick-up lines" She said under her breath. Blake just chuckled gently and shrugged, it was like silk on velvet, soothing her pulsing brain. Blake just smiled and looked around lightly.

"Well, I didn't really say no" She smiled at Yang and she felt her heart soar. Yang gently leaned in for a kiss with her new girlfriend, but was stopped when Blake pressed her hand against her mouth. "You still smell like a night full of regret" 

Yang grinned a bit and nodded. "I should go wash up then" Blake just nodded as Yang got to her feet and looked over at her. Giving her a wink, she left her room and walked down to her own room. When she opened the door, the door trotted out and barked at her, obviously upset that she wasn't there to heat the bed for him. She just gave him a pet and apologised to the dog before walking in and washing up for the day. 

Walking back to the hallway, Yang saw her sister shuffle out. A grin came to her face as she watched her blink slowly, her baby sister not handling her first hangover very well. "Morning" Yang said, Ruby just groaned as she looked over at her sister. "That bad, eh?" Ruby just nodded as she began to shuffle towards the kitchen. 

"I need something greasy." Ruby said and Yang just nodded, agreeing with her younger sister. 

"How bad was it?" Yang asked her as she looked over at her. 

"Weiss told me I threw up" 

"Ouch" 

Ruby just nodded lightly. "Is it normal to not remember anything?" She asked lightly. 

"Well, it depends on how much you drink, and I think we had a lot. Sometimes it comes back in pieces." Yang said simply as she looked back. "Where is Weiss, by the way" 

"Went to give Noir a very strongly worded talk" 

"I almost feel bad for him" Yang said as they reached the kitchen doors and looked over at Ruby. _"Almost"_

Upon entering the kitchen, the smell of food invaded her nose. Exactly what she needed right now. Following the scent, she found several frying pans on the stove, cooking bacon, eggs, hash browns and some fried toast with a hint of cinnamon. Yang would have given up all of that, every piece of bacon and drop of fat from the pan, just to make the man who was standing there stop smirking at them with a shit eating grin that only a Xiao Long could create. 

"Well, if it isn't my darling daughters!" Taiyang Xiao Long said a little too happily, and too loudly for her head to take it. They both groaned and held their heads as he leaned on the counters across from him. 

"Please not so loud, dad" Ruby pleaded. He just laughed as he walked up to her and gave her a big hug. Her sister too tired to fight back, only just groaned as her body went limp as he picked her up with his hug. 

"Why, is my little Rubes suffering from a hangover?" He asked with a grin. She just groaned out her response. "Yesh...." He laughed as he put her down and looked over at his eldest daughter and raised an eyebrow. 

"If you try to hug me, I will punch you" Yang warned. He just laughed as he walked back to his spot and opened up his scroll. 

"Relax, Yang" He said as he began to look though something. "You're old enough that I don't need to embarrass you in person anymore" Yang let out a sigh of relief as she leaned against the counter. "I can embarrass you over the web" He said happily as he held out his scroll and she could see what he was showing her. Yang had both Ruby and Noir in her arms and they all looked really happy, happily drunk. Yang just stared at the picture as Ruby looked over at her older sister. 

"You posted them?" She asked. Slowly, Yang reached into her pocket and pulled out her scroll. She opened up her gallery and saw the pictures she had taken at some point during the night. "Yep." Yang popped the word out sadly. Their father just laughed as he looked though his own set of pictures as the girls went though theirs. 

Most of them were blurry or out of focus, but a few had been some real gems. While Yang and Ruby were looking through the pictures, Grau had wondering in and looked at him. "Recounting a long night?" He asked as he poured himself some coffee. He wasn't wearing his usual armour, wearing baggy clothing and walking around with a cane, he sipped the hot mug of coffee with a smirk. Yang put her scroll down and shook her head, silent shame filling the air as Taiyang laughed as he went from picture to picture. 

"Glad to see you found your arm" Yang looked down at her arm, while Ruby's eyes widen slightly in some sort of realisation. 

"I lost it?" 

"Yeah, and in this picture, you were making some obscene gestures with one of the holes..." He held it up to her and Yang just shook her head. The picture was Yang, her right arm missing, as pushing her left finger into the hole of the plate with a wink and her tongue sticking out. 

"Please, someone stop me the next time I do something like this again" She said with a groan as she looked over at her wide eyed sister. "Speaking of my arm, something happened to it, so I was wondering if you could take a look at it" She said as she lifted it up and began to turn it, making the clicking noise again. Ruby's eyes just widen as she looked at the arm and shook her head. 

"Oh no...." 

"Whats wrong Ruby, I though you'd be over all over this." Yang said with a raised eyebrow. Slowly, Ruby turned her gaze to Yang and shook her head lightly. 

"I thought it was a dream" The little scythe wielder said quietly. Yang just looked at her oddly as they all just watched her. 

"You know what happened?" 

Ruby just nodded slowly. She gently pulled Yang out to an open area and began to position her body for her. Ending up in her usual fighting stance, knees bent, her right arm down with her left slightly raised. Ruby then began to turn her wrist until it clicked softly, wondering how she already knew about it. Suddenly, Ruby pulled Yang's arm back in the way she usually does when she reloads her weapon, only for her arm to open up. Yang's eyes widen as she saw the insides of her arm, Ruby completed her action by moving her arm down fast, the motion making Yang punch towards the ground. Her arm snapped back together, but Ember Celiea was fully formed around her metal arm. 

Everyone just stared as her metal arm transformed into her weapon with a simple punch towards the ground. Moving her wrist around lightly, Yang quickly looked towards Ruby, who was looking at the ground in shame. "Ruby, did you put my weapon into my arm?" She asked. Ruby remained silent as she began to rub her foot onto the ground.

"Thats why I was looking for you last night, I wanted to show you the plans I designed for your arm, but then that happened." She said lightly, pointing to her scroll. 

"Ruby!" She scolded her younger sister as she continued to move her arm around, trying to get used to it, but it did't seem any heavier than before. 

"Can I just point out-" Grau began as he pointed to the youngest person in the room. "-That in one night, a sixteen year old girl disassembled one of the most advanced prosthetic arms made by Atlesian scientists, put a weapon in it, reassembled it with no problems, and put it back on her sister. All while drunk"

They all looked over at the young girl, her face red with embarrassment, the others simply looked at her with an impressed look on their faces. "Thats, actually really impressive" Grau said as he sipped his coffee. Ruby let out an awkward laugh as she rubbed the back of her head. 

"Great, now how do I put it back?" Yang asked. Ruby showed her how to retract the weapon. Another simply turn of her wrist and a sharp jab to the ground, her arm opened up and consumed the weapon, hiding it once more. Taiyang just smiled as he looked at his two daughters. 

"I remember when you first ran home after you got Crescent Rose approved by Qrow. I swear, you made that weapon in three days, then spent the next three weeks disassembling it and reassembling it" He smiled at the memory. "I was so proud of you" Ruby just smiled and looked over at her sister, who was giving her a smile of her own. "So, where's the rest of your team?" Grau asked as he looked at the two of them. 

On cue, the stainless steel door swing door opened up and Noir walked in, looking worse than either sister. Behind him, Weiss was more heard than seen as she continued to scold Noir for what he had done the night before. 

"-You call your self an adult? How dare you do something like that to my team! Both of them were drunk and we have a mission tomorrow! do you take anything seriously?!-" 

Noir just walked up to the counter and looked straight at Ruby. "Please make her stop!" He cried out to her as Weiss continued her rant. Ruby just laughed and shook her head. "You asked for it" She said 

While this was happening, Taiyang began to put plates of food together, Noir grabbed a slice of toast, turned and shoved it onto Weiss's mouth, silencing her as she stared at him with death in her eyes and began to chew. Noir then grabbed a strip of bacon and began to eat it as he looked at the two sisters. "So, anything interesting after I dropped you off?" He asked with a smirk. 

They looked at each other and shook their heads, Noir just raised his eyebrow, unbelieving. Taiyang raised his eyebrow, knowing when his daughters were lying. "I really don't remember anything from last night" The red cloaked girl said. Next was Weiss to raise her eyebrow lightly at Ruby. Noir just laughed as he shook his head. 

"Oh, a lot happened last night, let me tell ya!" He said as he grabbed an apple and washed it under the sink. 

"Please don't" Ruby said as she narrowed her eyes at him. 

"Make me" 

She walked up to him and grabbed the apple out of his hand and smirked at him. She tossed the apple into the air and grabbed his shoulders, the two of them disappeared in a flurry of red rose petals. 

\----------------------------------------------

Jaune was just walking down the hall, minding his own business. He was going to talk to Ren about a little bit of practice when a gust of wind nearly pushed him onto the ground and a high pitched scream followed a trail of rose petals. Looking up and down the hallway, he scratched his head lightly as he shook his head. "What was that?"

\---------------------------------------------------

Ren was gently massaging his temples with his fingertips as Nora continued to practically vibrate in her seat. Taiyang, as nice of a guy he was, he made a grave mistake of giving a cup of coffee to Nora. He had managed to get her to stay in one spot, he figured out a way to get her to use her energy on helping him clean the lodge, but he was quickly losing the battle as she had finished wiping all the tables and chairs, leaving the banquet hall spotless in little over five minutes. "Okay Nora, lets move onto the next room" Ren said slowly, as not to surprise the highly caffeinated woman. 

"But Ren! there are so many things out there to watch and experience and clean! so many things to clean! why is this place so dirty to begin with its like its never been lived in and we've got so many rooms to go through to clean before Ruby Weiss Blake and Yang go off on their mission tomorrow! How do you think it'll go I think they'll do great after all they've one of the best first years at Beacon was still there! Hey Noir!" 

Ren just looked at her oddly when a sudden gush of wind and rose petals blew past them. A high pitch yell followed the wind as Nora just waved and grinned down the hallway. Ren just blinked and let out a sigh. "Come on Nora, lets start on the gym" 

"Okay!" 

\------------------------------------------------

Yang watched as Ruby threw the apple up into the air and then disappear with Noir. Before the apple fell to the ground they reappeared just as suddenly as they had vanished, Ruby caught the apple with a smirk as Noir stood there while screaming. After a few moments, he looked around wide eyed and began to stumble towards the sink, and collapsing against it, his head hovering inside of it as he groaned. 

"You okay, Noir?" Ruby asked with a smirk as she took a bite out of the apple. 

"Never do that aga-uugghh!" He gagged out and began to cough into the sink and groaned out again. Ruby just smiled and walked back to her sister, who only held her hand out and the two of them high fived while Noir did his best not to vomit in the kitchen sink. 

The rest of the day continued on, RWBY slowly getting things ready for their trip to the frozen tundra of Atlas. Tents and warm sleeping bags were packed into bags for them to carry and a final check on their weapons and equipment the night before. The morning came and they all loaded up into the airship, yawns and mugs of coffee in their hands. 

Walking out into the dark, winter morning. Weiss keeping pace as everyone else shuffled up the ramp, barely awake, Noir being the worst, actually being dragged by Krimson. Everyone took their seats as Krimson gave them their final briefing before take off. "Team RWBY, your mission is the infiltration of the White Fang stronghold, currently located somewhere inside the Atlesian tundra, confirming the location of the Witch, Cinder Fall, as well as any other information you can acquire while you are there" Krimson told them as they all looked at him, ready for their mission, nervous energy bouncing around Yang's stomach. She could see everyone else was just as nervous as she was. 

Ruby's knee was bouncing up and down as she sat there, waiting for Krimson to finish so they could start. Weiss was sitting straight, her posture perfect, save for her fidgeting with her fingers. Blake was simply adjusting the ribbon that was tied around her arm, making sure it was tight enough. Noir was just trying his best to stay up right, barely alive this early in the morning. 

"There is another reason that I chose you as my trump card" Krimson added as he looked at each of them. "You must be the ones that people thank, not us, not KNGT" He began as he looked at Ruby. "We are a team of killers, we cannot become the light that unites this Remnant. It must be you" He then looked to Noir. "Should something happen, allow Noir do what he is good at, and keep your hands clean. You cannot hold the torch of unity with bloody hands" He then nodded to Noir, who nodded back. "Good luck!" Krimson then walked off the airship, the ramp closed, and RWBY made their way towards Atlas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's only one more chapter left before the end of part one of Remembrance, I hope you've enjoyed the story so far, and I'm sorry that this chapter didn't really have much going for it. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and feed back is always welcome, and thank you to everyone who has commented and has given a kudo.


	30. The coming Storm

In the hours it took to get from Mistral to Atlas, Ruby did her best to catch up on sleep, but she was too nervous for sleep to come to her. Looking around at her team, she noticed that Yang was moving her metal arm around, transforming it into Ember Ceiliea version two, then back again. Weiss was making sure each of her dust cartages were filled and placed perfectly inside of her weapon. Ruby noticed that she had put on some white leggings instead of leaving her legs bare as she normally does to protect her from cold Atlas winds, to Ruby's disappointment of not being able to look at her milky legs during this mission was suppressed in light of the mission.

Blake was loading up a clip for Gambol Shroud with dust infused bullets that Weiss made for her. Like the white haired girl, Blake had decided to wear a tight black, long sleeved shirt under her normal attire, covering her normally bare arms and stomach for the cold. Yang didn't bother covering up her bare skin, still sporting her usual clothing. Likewise, Ruby didn't add anything else to her attire, she showed the least amount of skin on her team. Noir didn't bother wearing a coat of anything either, in fact, he was still passed out with his head tilted back and his mouth wide open. 

As time passed, Ruby ended up dozing off for an hour or so, she was jolted awake when the airship hit a small pocket of turbulence. Looking around, she had seen that Weiss had moved to sit next to her, her head resting on her shoulder gently, white hair sprawled over her red cloak. Looking around, Yang and Blake were sitting next to each other across the ship, Ruby noticed that their hands were locked together, Blake's fingers entwined with Yang's metal ones. Looking up to see her, Yang simply raised and lowered her eyebrows a few times and smiled at her. Blake noticed Yang's attention was moved and looked over to see Ruby watching them. Blake quickly tried to take her hand away but Yang would not let her. 

"Sorry, my fingers are not working again" Yang said with a grin. Blake just shot her an glance and Yang simply released her hand with a wink towards her sister. Ruby smiled lightly as the couple as the ship shook again, causing Noir slide gently and fall onto his side, his knees came up to his chest as he stopped snoring for a few moments before beginning again. Yang just watched this happen and shook her head lightly with a smile. 

Suddenly, the lights in the cabin went red and a loud buzzer startled everyone. Weiss jolted awake, eyes quickly scanning the room, her hand gripping Myrtenaster as she tried to look for the danger. At the same time, Noir jumped out of his position and landed stomach first onto the floor of the cabin with a painful groan. Bleu's voice came from speakers above them, "We're ten minutes out, there's a large storm blowing where the original landing area and its making its way towards us, so I'm setting you guys down a bit early" He said to them. 

Everyone got to their feet and began to grab their things, weapons were being placed on bodies, packs of supplies put on backs and final checks were being made as the small airship landed and the main hanger ramp opened up, sending snow and heavy winds into the cabin. Ruby shivered lightly as she wrapped her red cloak around herself to try and stay warm, Blake walked a bit closer to Yang, who was not bothered by the cold at all. Weiss took a deep breath and smiled lightly, seeming like she missed how cold her home was. The only thing Noir did that signalled that he was affected by the cold was roll his sleeves back down and pulled his toque a bit lower on his head. 

He walked over to the cockpit and opened the door and began to talk to their pilot. "Alright Bleu, this storm's coming in fast, so as soon as we're clear, get the hell out of here" Noir said as he looked at the blue avian faunus. "Head back to Atlas, and if you don't hear from us within two days, haul ass back to the lodge" Bleu just looked over at Noir and shook his head. 

"But its a three day mission, why leave after two? What about you guys?" 

"We will contact you in two days, if you don't hear from us, assume the worst and come back with the cavalry" Noir patting his shoulder hard and left before the man could say anything about it. "You're my boy, Bleu!" Noir shouted as he descended the ramp to join the rest of the team. Shortly afterwards the ship hovered up and began to fly off back to Atlas city, Noir looked at the rest of them, adjusted his pack and nodded. "Lets get going" He said with a grin as he began to lead the way. In the distance, the sky was covered in dark clouds that could only be the storm the Bleu had mentioned earlier.

As they walked single file thought he snow, single file with Noir leading they way, Ruby looked behind her and smiled at Weiss, the woman smiled back as she looked back and saw Blake, shivering next to Yang, who was just strolling though, melting the snow slightly as she walked. Ruby looked back up to Noir, who was smoking, letting out puffs of smoke from his lungs every few seconds. "Hey, Noir" Weiss called up, the man just looked over his shoulder at her, still walking forward. "You're from Vacuo right? how are you handling the cold this well?" She asked lightly. The man just shrugged as he turned around to face them, walking backwards. 

"I'm from the Highland Islands, Snow Queen" He called out to her. "A hell of a lot less snow, but just as much wind" He said with a grin as he turned back and continued to push forward though the snow. The wind had began to pick up quickly, Ruby's red cloak billowing to the side as the storm grew closer and closer to them. As the wind ripped snow across their faces, Noir shook his head slightly. "We've been walking for a few hours now, maybe we should set up tents and wait it out, doesn't look like it'll end any time soon..." Noir said as he looked away from the wind and yelled at them over the volume of the air whipping around them. 

Deciding to abandon one of the tents, team RWBY piled into one tent and Noir was left to his own. He said he would be able to deal with the cold himself. In exchange, he had taken some of the linings of the second tent to reinforce his one against the winds. It took a while for the tents to get set up in the strong winds, but they managed to get them up with minimal snow being on the inside. Setting their boots and near the entrance, they zipped it close and huddled together, a small dust lamp their only illumination in the tent. 

Between the howling winds, the shaking of the tent walls, and the bland rations they ate that night, Yang summed up the adventure so far while trying to lighten the mood. "Worst. Camping trip. Ever. Of all time" She said as he picked at the round white cardboard disc that was suppose to be bread. She got nods from the other members of her team as they continued to pick at their own vacuumed packed meals. 

"Weiss, how long is this storm going to last?' Blake asked as she stayed as close as she could to Yang to stay as warm as she could without being in her lap. Weiss just shook her head.

"Well, winter storms like this one tend to only last a few hours, but can dump close to a metre of snow during that time" Blake just groaned and leaned onto Yang, who just grinned and wrapped her arm around her. "Its okay, Kitten" Yang said with a smile. Weiss and Ruby just raised their eyebrows and gave each other a look before looking at the couple. 

" _Kitten?_ Really, Yang?" Blake asked as she pulled away from her lightly. Yang just shrugged and gave her a grin that only Yang could give. 

"Sure, why not?" She said with a smile. Ruby just looked between the two of them and cleared her throat, making them look at the scythe wielder. 

"So, are you two, like, _together_ -together?" She asked slowly. Blake just looked at her and then looked back to Yang, who was just grinning like an idiot. 

"Yep" Yang popped the 'p' in the word as she pulled Blake back close to her. Ruby just smiled at the two of them. "She's my little Kitten" Yang said happily. Blake just rolled her eyes as she righted herself. 

"You can call me that, just not in front of Noir, I'd never hear the end of it..." 

Her train of thought was cut off by a soft beeping coming from her pocket. Reaching in, Blake pulled out her scroll and opened it, quickly reading whatever it was, and letting out a annoyed groan. "What is it?" Weiss asked as she gnawed on her food. 

"Its from Noir, _'too late'_. I hate how good our hearing can be sometimes." She said as she turned her scroll around and showed her. Ruby could almost hear his howling laughter though the rough wind as another message came up from him. 

_Get some rest, we've got a long trek ahead of us tomorrow, Kitten_ " Blake rolled her amber eyes as she put her scroll away. "He's right, though." Everyone nodded as they slipped into their sleeping bags, Blake slipping into Yang's claiming she needed it for warmth. "No making out you two" Yang said as Blake settled in next to Yang with ease, happy to be next to a woman who radiates heat like the summer sun. 

"Same can be said for you two" Weiss told them with a blush coming across her face. 

"Relax, Yang. We haven't even kissed yet" Ruby said as she looked over at Weiss, who just stared at her. 

"Actually, we have." 

"What?" Ruby and Yang said in unison. Weiss just looked between the two sister as she cleared her throat. 

"It was after Noir abandoned you on me, you kissed me" Weiss said as Yang just looked at her. Ruby's eyes wide as she tried to remember that night. "It was more like a little tap, but it was a kiss-" Weiss was quickly cut off as a pillow collided with her face with enough force to knock her to the ground from her sitting position. 

"You took advantage of my drunk sister?!" Yang nearly screamed at Weiss. The only reason that she didn't jump across the small tent to strangle the white haired woman was because Blake was gently holding her arm. 

"She kissed me!" Weiss said finally as she pried the pillow off her face.

"My _fist_ is about to kiss you!" Yang said as she began to stand up in the tent, Blake had her arms wrapped around her waist, trying to stay close to her blonde radiator. The fight was quickly halted before it could begin with Ruby coming between her sister and her partner. 

"Everyone relax!" Ruby called out. "Lets get this mission done, then once we're back at the lodge, we can calmly talk about who kissed who, and who is in a relationship who. Okay?" Ruby looked between the two of them. Slowly, Yang began to sit back down, making the 'I'm-watching-you' gesture with her metal hand. Breathing a sigh of relief, Ruby sat down next to Weiss as Blake happily nuzzled close to Yang, being so close to such an abundant source of heat. Ruby had slipped into her sleeping bag and felt Weiss close to her. They smiled at each other and mumbled out good-nights as Yang sat up and turned off the dust lap, letting the four of them be covered in darkness, the wind howling outside shaking the tent walls the only sound as they all laid there. 

"I'm really glad you guys are back with me" Ruby quietly said to the darkness. 

"Thank you for coming to get me" Weiss said gently as she pushed closer to Ruby. 

"Thank you for accepting me" Blake added to the silence that filled after Weiss. 

"Thank you for coming back to me" Yang let out gently as she puled Blake closer to herself. Ruby just smiled as she snuggled deeper inside of her sleeping back to try and stay warm as she tried to sleep in their tent. 

Opening her eyes, Ruby looked around gently. Across the tent from her, she saw Blake's sleeping face, blond hair behind her. At some point, their position changed from Blake being on top of her to Yang holding her from behind. The same could be said for Weiss, who had somehow, managed to slip into her sleeping bag and was holding Ruby from behind, not that she complained about it. The fact that she could see all of this meant the sun had risen, shuffling a bit, she let out a yawn and saw that Blake was looking back at her with her amber eyes. 

They smiled at each other and nodded, silently agreeing to start trying to wake their partners up. Slowly, they began to turn and gently shake them, earning groans of annoyance from them. Eventually, everyone woke up and got ready to continue their trip though the Atlesian tundra. 

Slipping out of the tent, the area around them had been shovelled out, between the two tents was a small dust powered burner with a kettle on top of it. Next to it, Noir was smoking and looked out around them. Thankfully, the storm had passed and the wind had died down, leaving only the winter cold. Noticing that RWBY filed out of their tent, Noir smirked as he looked over at them. "Ah, Good mornink mein friends!" Noir said with a horrible excuse of an old Atlas accent. "Are You enjoyink zee vinter air?" He grinned at them all. Everyone let out a small chuckle but Weiss, who looked more than a little annoyed. 

"That is rude and I resent that kind of stereotyping" She said as she folded her arms. "Besides, this is the wrong region for that type of accent" Noir just blinked a bit before nodded and proceeded to squat down tot he ground where his put almost touched the snow, he changed the position of his cigarette to between his index and his thumb and smiled up at them. 

"Comrade!" He cried out to her, his arms extended excitedly. "You have good night?" He asked with a stupid grin. Weiss just started at him for a couple of seconds before speaking. 

_"Nyet"_ She said as she walked up to the kettle and looked inside of it. "The sleeping bags were itchy, it was cold, the wind didn't help and I felt that the tent was going to fly off at any moment" She then lifted it up and poured herself a cup of coffee when she fished out her tin cup. Noir just laughed as he got up from his squat and looked around a bit more. 

"How are you even away this early in the morning, and did you shovel the tents out of the snow?" Weiss asked as she looked around a bit. Noir just nodded. "Yeah, I don't really sleep well while on missions" 

"Maybe we should take him out more often" Yang quietly mused.

"Well, we should pack up quick, we need to make up time from when we waited out the storm" He said with his normal, horrible Highland accent. Getting nods from everyone, they began to dismantle the tents while eating at the same time, once everyone was ready, Noir lead them though the knee high snow, further into the tundra. 

The long walk was uneventful under the bright sun, Ruby didn't understand how it could be so cold from the season, but so hot from the sun at the same time when she suddenly caught her foot on something and went face first into the snow. Luckily for her, it was deep enough that she didn't hurt herself, but she heard Weiss call out her name suddenly. She was quickly brought back to her feet and was being dusted off when Weiss talked to her. "You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah, I tripped on something" She said as she began to clear the snow away with her boot and revealed a long metal pole. Confused, Ruby began to clear away more snow, showing that it was much longer than she thought. Noir saw it and began to clear out snow next to it, everyone joined in for a few seconds until a pair of poles were revealed. Everyone stared at them for a few moments before Weiss looked up and down the direction they were pointed in. "Train tracks" She said simply. Noir put his hands hands over his eyes and looked down one direction, his green eye glowing as he strained his eyes lightly. Checking the other direction, he nodded and pointed. 

"Smoke, could be the place we're looking for" He said simply as he began to lead the way, following the tracks. They walked for another couple of hours until they came up to a large factory building, hiding behind some snow dunes from far away, they took stock of what they were seeing. The building was massive, with a Schnee family logo painted onto the side, faded from decades of harsh weather. Watching something that looked like a back door, they saw a couple of people talking and smoking outside, obviously whatever they were doing, they were on break. Ruby noticed that they were all faunus, one had a beak, another had a cat tail and the third had large, floppy dog ears that looked pretty cute on the woman who had them. "So, how are we getting in?" Ruby asked looking over at Noir. 

"Me and Kitten here-"

"Hey!" 

"Infiltrate the base, we make sure no one is around, open the door for you lot" He said simply as he looked over to the rest of the team. "Good?" Getting nods from everyone, he began to take his weapons off and handed them to Ruby before pointing at her. "Don't tear up Morrigan's Lullaby while I'm gone" He warned her as he took his hand off and scratched his hair, ruffling it as Blake did the same with her weapons, giving them to Yang. 

She undid her bow and handed the ribbon to her partner. Yang nodded and wrapped the black silk ribbon around her left arm and nodded. Just as she was about to turn, Yang grabbed her arm and pulled her back towards herself. Wrapping her arms around her waist, pulling Blake into a deep, passionate kiss. Ruby just stared at them as they kissed in the snow, fingers being dragged through each other's hair. Slowly, Ruby reached into her pocket and began to pull out her scroll. Without taking her eyes off the scene, she opened it and got ready to take a picture before Weiss slapped it out of her hand. 

Weiss glared at her silently as the soft click echoed, they both looked over at saw Noir with his scroll out and took several more photos. "What are you doing!" Weiss all but shrieked at him. 

"Winning fifty lien" He said as he pocketed the device and walked past the blonde and black haired couple, currently sucking each other's faces off. "Alright, alright, break it up you two" He said as he pushed them apart and walked between them so they couldn't resume immediately afterwards. "We've got a mission to do!" The two of them looked at each other and smiled before Blake followed Noir to the base. 

Ruby watched the two faunus quickly make their way to the door, staying out of sight just long enough for the three workers to head back inside, just before the door closed, Noir and Blake slipped though the door and into the building, leaving Yang, Weiss and herself in the cold, waiting for them. Before long, Ruby watched Yang begin to fiddle with the ribbon wrapped around her left hand. She just placed a hand on her older sister's arm and smiled at her. "She'll come back, Yang" The blonde just nodded and stared at the door, and waited. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The halls were the same dank green as every other factory that Blake had infiltrated. It was like everyone bought the same shade when it was on sale and they painted it on everything. Following Noir down the hallway, they checked each corner and stayed out of cameras the best they could. "So, whats the plan?" Blake whispered as they silently waked down the hall. 

"We find some disguises for everyone, then we wonder around in plain sight until we stumble across something interesting" Noir whispered back as he hugged a corner and checked around it quickly before continuing. He was surprisingly silent on his feet despite the extremely thick souls that gave him just enough height to be barely taller than she was, without his boots, he was probably the same height as Weiss. 

"You have no idea what you're doing, do you" 

"Yeah, I don't really plan shit, I just _do_ " He said as they came across a pair of doors. A man walked out wearing some coveralls and a hard hat, while a woman walked into the other door, wearing the same clothing. Blake and Noir nodded to each other and walked into their doors and entered a locker room. 

Inside, rows of lockers filled the walls while a corner had several toilet stalls. Rummaging thought he lockers, Blake found a lab coat that fit over her clothing and another two that would fit Ruby and Weiss. Grabbing a clip board that someone misplaced, she even found a pair of glasses that completed the disguise. Walking back out, she saw Noir come out wearing large baggy coveralls and a hard hat. Nodding, they made their way back to the rest of their team, they held the door open and gave a light whistle to signal for them to meet them. 

Reaching the door, Blake and Noir handed out coveralls for Yang and lab coats for Ruby and Weiss. As they were getting dressed, weapons were passed back to their owners as Noir began to lay down the plan, it only lasted a few seconds as Weiss shook her head. "You have no idea what you're doing, do you?" 

"Why does everyone say that about my ideas" Noir said as he shook his head. 

"Because they're not very good" She concluded as she undid her side ponytail and retied it behind her head properly. Weiss handed Yang an elastic so she could tie her hair up as well, making her look like she works on a factory floor, while Ruby was trying to get her cloak inside of the coat. Suddenly, Noir turned his head and looked at the ajar door, Blake could pick up the sounds of someone walking towards them. Noir swore and began to pull out his packet of cigarettes and handed one to each of them. 

"But I don't-" Weiss tried to stop him but Noir quickly pushed it into her hand. 

" _Put it in your gob, you tit_ " He hissed at her. She quickly took it and put one end in her mouth. The rest followed as Noir pulled one out and flipped it over his fingers before pulling out a flip lighter and tried to ignite his when the door burst open and a man looked at all of them. He was wearing a dress shirt and pants as well as a blue hardhat. 

"Hey, what are you doing out here!" He yelled at them, they all looked at each other with shocked expressions as Noir began to stumble over his words. 

"Ah- we were-uh" 

"The break already ended, get back to work!" 

"Aye sir!" Noir said as he put his back in the pack and held it out to everyone. "Put it back or you owe me three lien each" He said. They put the cancer sticks back and the supervisor shook his head. "Filthy habit" He said simply as they all filed in. 

"Sorry sir" Blake said as he closed the door and began to sternly walk down the hall away from them. They all let out a collective sigh of relief and looked over at Noir, who only grinned his wolf grin. "I just do" He said with a smirk at Blake. 

"I think I put that in my mouth the wrong way" Ruby said as she stuck her tongue out and began to pick off small brown shavings off. Noir just shook his head and lead them down the hall, back towards the way they had come from. Blake quickly took the lead, having the ones who looked like floor workers behind the three lab personal, seemed like a better idea. 

Walking past a few crates, Blake gestured to them lightly, Weiss grabbing the clipboard that was nearby and began to look over it while Noir and Yang lifted one each just as some other workers walked past them, not even batting an eye at them. When they were out of earshot, Weiss just shook her head. "I can't believe this is working" She said as she handed the clipboard to Ruby so she looked like she was doing something important. 

As the five of them walked down the halls, they crossed the large factory floor and past several large machines. "What are they doing here" Ruby asked as she looked at the people manning controls and valves. "Refining Dust" Weiss replied as she began to point at several tubes and containers. "The unrefined stuff comes in from underground holding so they don't get contaminated, but all of these machines are over twenty years old, if this facility was still active the machines would have been replaced by now" 

"So what does that mean?" Blake asked as they crossed the floor and into another hallway. 

"This facility has been shut down for over twenty years" Weiss said as they continued down. Walking past another pair of people, one being another supervisor person and the other being some sort of scientist, the group averted their gaze from them as they walked past. Nearing the corner, they were almost clear when the supervisor noticed them. 

"Hey! Where are you going!" He called as he ran up to them. The group shared a look between then, the girls behind the corner while Noir was still out in the other hallway. "That crate goes to to storage C, get going!" He pointed down to the scientist, who nodded and jerked her head down another hallway. Looking back at the others, he nodded and turned back to follow the woman. "Right!" Noir said as he disappeared behind a set of doors. The rest of them continued on down the hall. 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Following the small woman down the hall and into a rather large room filled with several more crates identical to the one he was carrying, she gestured him to set it down near the back of the wall. With a nod, he walked past her as she took out a pen began to write some things down on her clipboard. After setting it down with the rest, he stood up and began to speak as he turned to her. "Anything else you neeeeed?...."

His voice trailed off as the woman's brown hair half turned pink and white, her blue eyes changed to pink and brown, and the lab coat transformed before him into a brown corset with a white and pink coat that just buttoned up around her chest. From behind her, she pulled out a small while umbrella, opened it and began to twirl it over her shoulder while smiling at him.

"Oooohhh" He said lightly as he looked around the room. "We've been caught..." The woman just nodded lightly. Noir just nodded his head the same way as he looked around a bit more. "Mind if I?" He asked as he gestured to himself, the petite woman just shrugged with a bored look on her face. "Thanks" He took off his hardhat and tossed it to the side, sliding across the floor. Undoing the buttons on his coveralls, they slipped down around his ankles and kicked it to the side. 

Putting his hat back on and pulling his large pistols, Morrigan's Lullaby, from the back of his pants, he changed his hand position on his guns and pulled the slides back at the same time, cocking a bullet in before sliding his fingers to their places on their against the triggers. Holding the guns up, he tilted his neck to the side, earning a few satisfying cracks and pops from the motion, he gave the woman one of his wolf smirks and winked at her. "Ladies first" 

She smiled at him and gave him a polite nod before pulling the handle out of her umbrella, revealing a hidden blade and charged at him. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Without Noir, the group continued down the hall way and entered a large room with bright yellow A stencilled on the green walls. Ruby was about follow Blake down another hallway right in front of them when they spotted four people in all black, their faces covered by helmets and masks, Tactical vests and bludgeoning weapons in their hands, they stayed in the hallway, waiting. Ruby was about to tell Blake about it when the faunus spoke up. "Three o'clock" Ruby looked to her right and saw another four men in all black. 

"Nine o'clock" Weiss said, Ruby looked over and saw another set of men in black watching them. 

"And six" Yang said as yet another team closed them into the large room. Ruby looked around and saw that they might be able to escape to the cat walks above them, but they would have to take care of these guys first. 

"So, whats the plan?" Blake asked as they backed up slowly so their backs were touching lightly. 

"Fight till their out cold?" Ruby suggested as she gripped the lab coat and got ready to tear it off. 

"Works for me!" Yang said happily as she threw the crate to the ground, spilling Dust canisters all over the floor. She then jerked her arms to the side and made a punching motion to the ground, Ember Celica opening up, wearing the sleeves of the coveralls and leaving her arms bare. Everyone else threw their lab coats off and took out their weapons as the men in black charged at them. 

Thankfully, there was enough room for her to use Crescent Rose effectively, each of them taking four of the men in black, Ruby kept her team at bay with the reach of her weapon and her speed. Knocking a few back, she drop kicked another and used a shot to get back to her feet effortlessly. Smacking another one with the flat side of her scythe, he went flying into the other two, but even after all that damage, they got back up and kept charging towards her. 

Fighting them, they were better trained than basic White Fang grunts, but they were still no match for the four Huntresses. While she had the space, Ruby looked back to see how her teammates were doing. Yang was busy punching someone in the face, Weiss was keeping her four at bay with her glyphs and Blake had hers running around in circles, breaking her clones whenever she made them. The four of them danced around each other while dealing with the men in black. 

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Side stepping quickly, Noir dodged past her attack and aimed his pistol at her head, but she did some kind of flip and kicked him in the face, while flipping away from him. Moving his jaw around, he aimed both of his guns at her and opened fire onto her, but she simply opened her weapon and easily blocked the large bullets like they were nothing. With a shake of his head, he sighed and charged at her, changing his pistols into bladed tonfas, they began to trade blows quickly. 

She was extremely flexible, he quickly found out as she hit him from angles he didn't see coming from. His aura quickly healing any small cut he got from her thin blade. He had his semblance going all the time whenever she attacked, just so he could try and see where her attacks were coming from so he could avoid them quickly and minimise damage done. While she was quick, athletic and nimble, Noir was fast, ruthless and vicious. 

Blocking one of her slashes, it opened her up for a quick counter, he swung his blade around a bit, forcing her to back up and flip out of the way, but he kept up his assault, forcing her into one of the corners of the room. With a look of surprise on her small face, he smirked and came down with a hard right, only for her to shatter like glass when his blade connected. 

he activated his semblance, his green eye glowing as he studied the falling glass, looking for anything on where she could pop up. In the reflection of one of her pieces, he saw her coming up behind him. Gritting his teeth, he knew he didn't have enough time to come out of it without getting hurt, he quickly spun around and caught the blade on his elbow and ran up to his shoulder, giving him a shallow cut up his arm, his aura already working on stitching it together. 

Being caught by surprise by him suddenly turning around, he connected a hard left to the back of her head and sent her flying. Making her way up to her feet, she narrowed her eyes as he grinned at her. "You're going to have to do better than that, Strawberry Shortcake" He said as he registered his arm out, feeling his torn shirt a bit. Looking at the glare she gave him, he shrugged a bit. "Not my best name I know...but I haven't known you for long enough" He said to her as she swung the blade around and charged at him again. 

With him moving against her, their blades met and he did his best to block her kicks. Steel clashing echoed though the room as they continued their attacks against each other, Neo's attacks quickly became more accurate and faster, forcing Noir to back up and try and make some space. She quickly closed the gap with a flurry of strikes. Being caught off guard, he did his best to defend against her, but he saw her make an opening on his chest, he braced for a hard punch, but instead, he grabbed his shirt and pulled him in for a quick kiss. 

It only lasted a second before she pushed him to his knees and she quickly jumped back. Licking his lips, he tasted the lip balm she used. "Strawberry, vanilla and chocolate icecream? isn't that a little childish for you?" He asked as he shook his head and went to stand up. "How old are you anyways" He asked as he leaned on his left foot and quickly fell down onto his knees once again. His head felt light and the world spun around his eyes. His body grew heavy as he looked up at her, she smirked and blew him a kiss with a wink. 

"You...fucken...." He didn't finish his last though before his head his the ground and the world went black. 

\---------------------------------------------------

As the brawl continued, it became apparent that these men had some form of Aura training previously, not a lot but enough to go toe to toe with Hunters. With about a quarter of the fighters on the ground, the team of Huntresses continued their fight until several more soldiers funnelled down the halls with rifles and took aim at them, the sound of them being loaded brought the fighters back and the huntresses surrounded from every angle. Knowing that they couldn't get out of this, they all stopped and looked around. Slowly, they began to part for a woman and a man to enter the room. 

"Heya, Bitch" Emerald Sustrai said with a knowing smirk on her dark lips. Yang growled at her as she clenched her teeth at the sight of the dark skinned woman. Behind her, Mercury walked past her and smiled at them. "Hey there kiddos" He said as he folded his arms over his grey shirt. He then looked over at Yang and raised an eyebrow. "Nice arm, Blondie. Maybe I could introduce you to a good mechanic" He said with a smirk. 

"My arm works just fine, thank. See!" She then extended the middle, metal finger at him. He just chuckled a bit as he walked around them slowly. "Throw down your weapons and you wont get hurt" He said as he looked at each of them. They all remained silent and kept a tight hold over their possessions until Emerald snapped her fingers. Hearing a door open above them, Ruby looked over and saw Neo walking out with a smirk, behind her, two more black soldiers were dragging Noir by his arms, his head down and body limp. Quickly, Neo grabbed his hair and lifted his head and placed her blade under his neck.

"Disarm, or he dies" Emerald warned as she held up her hand and got ready to signal to kill Noir. Gritting her teeth, Ruby released her grip on Crescent Rose and let it drop to the ground with a heavy clank. Quickly following their leader, weapons clattered to the ground and Yang retracted the weapon back into her arm. "I said, Dis- _arm_ " Emerald said a bit more harshly. Yang glared at her and quickly tore off the rest of the coveralls and reached to her arm and thumbed the latch. Pulling it, the metal arm fell to the ground with a lifeless thump. 

With a smile, she nodded to a few of the soldiers and they quickly ran up to the huntresses and grabbed their hands and forcing them behind their backs. Putting handcuffs around their wrists, they stepped back to join their fellow, faceless soldiers and waited for their next order. Emerald walked up to Yang, who had both sides of the handcuff on her one arm. He smiled lightly as she lifted Yang's arm and examined the cuffs, Ruby saw there was a glowing blue rube running along the length of them. 

"Think they actually work?" Emerald asked with a raised eyebrow. 

"Only one way to find out" Mercury said as he suddenly turned and kicked Yang in the stomach, making her fly across the floor. 

"Yang!" Ruby and Blake called out as the blonde woman skid across the floor and coughed, struggling to get to her feet. Ruby noticed that Yang's semblance never activated, her aura didn't protect her from the blow, even if she was caught off guard there should have been something. Laughing, Mercury walked towards the struggling Yang with a spring in his step. "What do you know, they do work. Them Atlas boys do good work" He said as he gently tapped Yang's arm so that she fell back onto her face, starting the painful process to get up again. 

"Leave her alone!" Ruby yelled out as Yang coughed again. 

"Come Red, save her before I give her a good kick" Mercury said as he brought his leg back and the sound of a shot being loaded into his leg weapon. Ruby tensed her legs up and went to sprint at Mercury, but a foot came out and tripped Ruby, making her fall onto her face. Emerald laughed at the scene as Ruby looked up and locked eyes with Yang. Ruby couldn't use her semblance and her aura didn't protect her from the fall. All their Auras were gone. 

With the sound of a shot, Mercury's foot came down and connected to Yang's stomach hard. A full force kick sent her up into the air and she belly flopped back onto the concrete floor with a heavy thud. Ruby watched as her body twitched lightly as she tried to breath. After a painfully long silence, Yang let out a hard gasp as her body finally allowed to breath. Coughing hard, she threw up all over the floor as she cried and groaned out in pain. 

"Gross" Mercury said simply as he placed his boot onto her head and was about to fire again when all the men suddenly stood at attention and parted the way for a woman in a red dress and black hair covering the right half of her face. Noticing this, Mercury took his boot off the wounded and coughing Yang and stood to the side. Cinder Fall looked at him and gently shook her finger at him.

"Tisk tisk, Mercury" She said with a touch of a smile. "You'll spoil the main course" She then looked down at Yang, who was trying to get to her feet, a few tears rolling down her cheeks. Her eyes looked over the rest of team RWBY and smiled lightly. "Take them to a room and start asking some questions, take Ruby to another cell. I've got a call to make" With a nod, the soldiers began to haul off team RWBY down the hall. Ruby tried too struggle as they were all dragged down the hall, despair filled her stomach as she was pulled away from her team once more. 

"Ruby!" Weiss cried out as she was forced down another hallway from her team. Ruby called out for them she was forced down a hall and though a series of rooms and down a set of stairs into the basement. Throwing her into a prison cell, she was left alone and saw several other people in the rooms around her. Faunus that looked like they were sleeping, Ruby would have tried to call for them, if she had not seen the small, bloody circle holes in the middle their foreheads. Curling into the corner, she did her best not to cry, but that was another fight she lost this day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap, the final chapter of Part 1! We made it! Woo!
> 
> But wait, I have one more chapter to put up, don't worry though, it won't be as long as this chapter, its just the epiloge. Enjoy this chapter and I'll see you later with the final part of Dreams of Tomorrow.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and please leave a Kudo if you haven't already to let me know you enjoy reading this, and feed back is always welcome.


	31. Epilouge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wait! I will have uploaded two chapters in quick succession so you might have missed the last chapter before the epilogue. If you already finished the last chapter, please ignore my ramblings.

The cave was lit by dust lamps that illuminated the dark walls in a faint blue glow. Adam Taurus was looking over a map of Atlas city when his scroll began to vibrate. Pulling it out, he looked at the number and opened it, placing it to his ear, he spoke quickly. "Hello Cinder" He said simply as he grabbed Wilt and Blush off the table and walked away from the planning station.

 ** _"Hello Adam, how is the mining going?"_** She asked in her usual, sultry tone. Walking up to the edge of his platform that was carved out of the cave wall, he looked up at where spotlights were pointed towards a carved open wall, where a partially exposed, massive Grimm was buried.

"Good, the Dragon is almost clear. It would be going faster if you gave me all the prisoners from Patch as workers like I asked" Adam said as he looked down and saw the workers dragging carts of rocks and tools to and from the wall.

 ** _"Please, Adam. Half of them will be more than enough for our plans. I needed them to start on the other things we have in store"_ ** Adam let out a low growl as he walked back towards the table. **_"Besides, I know you like the sight of humans in chains and in misery"_**

"Their not the best workers, but I do enjoy the sense of justice in seeing it" He said simply as he leaned against the table slightly. "Is there a reason you're checking up on me, Cinder?" Adam asked.

 _" **Yes, I've got you a few presents"**_ She said simply. A beep signified that he had been sent a photo file. Bringing his scroll away from his ear, he began to download of five pictures, once they were done, he opened the file and looked at the first one. A crying girl with a read cloak and red tinted black hair, curled up in the corner of a dirty cell. The next was Weiss Schnee, looking very pissed off. The heiress of the Schnee Dust Company in handcuffs brought a smile to his face. The next was the blonde woman, he remembered cutting her arm off after she tried to punch him. Anger began to rise in him as he remembered how protective Blake was about this woman, some of it was sated by how much pain she looked like she was in.

Moving to the next picture, was Blake, midway to kicking whoever took her picture. Mixed emotion of love and hate filled his heart as he studied the picture and Blake's soft features. Moving to the final picture, an unconscious form of a man that was being held up by two others could be seen. His head being held up by his hair. Adam tightened his grip on his weapon as he brought the scroll to his ear to speak to Cinder. "Where are they?" He asked her.

 ** _"In the tundra facility"_** Cinder replied simply. _**"How fast can you get here"**_ She asked.

"Give me a day" He said simply as a small laugh could be heard coming from Cinder. "I'll keep them warm for you" Closing his scroll, he turned back to see the dragon stir slightly in it's stone prison, the misery and hate from the prisoners fuelling the beast. Turning away, he began to make his way to the mine and on his way to Blake Belladonna

\--------------------------------------------------------

Sitting in a chair with her feet on a small table, a woman sat with a half empty bottle of beer between her fingers, staring out into a mostly closed window, small rays of sun light seeping though, showing the motes of dust that floated though her small, rented hotel room. Even in the middle of winter, Vacuo city was still too fucking hot.

Bringing the bottle up to her mouth, she took another swig of the poor excuse for domestic beer as a knock came to her door. Looking over at the door, she waited for a second set of knocking before letting out a annoyed groan before getting out of her seat. Walking over to the door, she opened the door to a young man holding a large brown envelope. "Telegram for Ms. Gray" The young man said as the door opened.

Looking up at her, his eyes widen as he did his best to keep his eyes on her face. He cleared his throat and held the package to her. "Uh...here you are, miss" He said as he decided to turn his gaze away from her, hiding some blush. Looking down at herself. Besides the bottle of beer in her hand, she was only wearing her grey boy shorts and matching sports bra. It was too hot to wear her normal clothing. With a sigh, she took the package from him and slammed the door in his face. Walking back to the table, she opened it and spilled two pieces of paper.

Picking one up, it was a simple letter addressed to her.

_You're the best in tracking people, but its been a while since you've started hunting them, so I'll give you a hint. They're somewhere in Mistral._

_~Autumn_

Setting the simple letter down, she picked up the other piece of paper that was a printed photo of something from a social media site. Flipping it over, she saw three people in the picture. On the left, was a busty blonde haired woman who was holding the camera. She was smiling and winking at the device. On the other side of the picture was a smaller girl with black hair ending in a red tint, she was happy with one glass filled with something she assumed was alcoholic. Between the two of them, they had their arms around a man who was trying to cover his face but failed miserably. She could easily see his green and blue eyes.

A small smile crept across her face as she walked over to the wall and pinned the picture to it. Reaching over to the bed, she pulled out one of her weapons, a charkam and began to twirl it around her index finger with a smile. With a quick jerk of her hand, the ring uncurled and snapped open in her hand. Four arms extended out and quickly connected to the main body by four glowing strings made of dust. With the crossbow completed, a red arrow made of dust formed between the X of the arms and took aim. Firing at the picture, she shot the man right between his eyes and smiled.

"Soon, I'll find you" She said as the picture was engulfed in flames. She quickly walked to her bed and got dressed. Low sitting black Jeans that her pale skin showed though rips and tears along her legs and boots, a loose fitting white tank top that left her stomach and shoulders bare. She walked to the mirror and fixed her white hair and smiled at herself in the mirror, her tanzanite eyes sparking as she applied some lipstick that accentuated her pale skin while she adjusted her nose ring in the left side. Running her hand though her hair, she made sure her bangs were straight, her hair was just above her shoulders except for some parts, pulling the left side over her shoulder, it reached down just under her chest.

Walking out, she pulled some finger-less gloves on her hands and attached her two charkams to her hips and smiled at the smouldering pile that settled on the ground. She gave it a quick few stomps to make sure it didn't burn down the building. She opened the door and began to walk down the hall towards the air port and on her way to Mistral.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, Part 1 of Remembrance is now done! Hurrah!
> 
> I would just like to thank everyone who has taken the time to read my story, leave a kudo and taken time out of their day to leave a comment. It really means a lot to me to see people actually enjoying my ideas. 
> 
> With that said, I will be taking a short break, I've got more than a few games I need to catch up on so I'll probably start writing part two next week. (doubtful, I'll probably start writing sooner) Then I'll start posting part two soon afterwards, hopefully I'll have an actual schedule to follow. (Again, doubtful, I'm hardly on time for work every morning) 
> 
> Keep your eyes open for part two coming soon: Visions of Today. 
> 
> As always, thank you for reading, please leave a Kudo if you liked what you read, and feed back is always welcome.


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